Peace Love Unity Respect
by LumiOlivier
Summary: She's graduated college. Her boyfriend dumps her. Her roommates find a way to cheer her up. But for whatever reason, she's feeling a little desperate. Especially when the DJ keeps giving her looks. He feels like he's seen her somewhere before...
1. Chapter 1

This was it. Finally got a degree under my belt. Not that it's going to do me much good in the cutthroat job market, but at least it was a start. I could've gotten a master's degree from MIT and I'd still end up a part timer at Starbucks during the day and cleaning hotels at night. I'd take my bachelor's in English literature. And as my college years came to an end, so did my relationship with the guy I thought was the one. So much for that. With my lamenting around my apartment came my two roommates surprising me with a little graduation present.

"Cierra?" Morgan knocked on my door, "Cierra, you ok?"

"Fine," I replied flatly, curled up in a ball in my room, wallowing in self-pity and depression.

"Bullshit," her younger sister Laurel stood with her, "Come on, Cierra. You've been in there for two days. The neighbors are starting to ask questions."

"I'm good," I attempted to shoo them away.

"Do you have pants on?" Morgan asked.

"Yes," I grumbled.

The two of them stormed my bedroom door and plopped down on my bed. Couldn't tell those two were related at all. They shared the same mannerisms, the same killer green eyes that have had men drooling at their feet. All I wanted was to be left alone, but these two weren't going to let that happen. No matter how many times I told them no.

"Come on, Cierra," Morgan rested her head on my shoulder, "You need to forget him. Oliver was a dick anyway and you know it."

"We all knew it," Laurel grumbled.

"What she means is," Morgan popped her sister in the shoulder, "We're worried about you, sweetie. We just graduated. Laurel just got through her first year. We need to celebrate!"

"I appreciate the sentiment, guys," I threw myself into my pillows, "But I'd rather not."

"Not even if it meant these…?" Laurel smacked me in the back of my head with a little box. Looked like it had a bracelet in it. But when I shook the box, I didn't hear anything shifting around inside it.

"What are these?" I wondered, sitting up in my bed, "It's empty."

"It's not empty," Morgan promised me, "Just open it."

I rolled my eyes and opened the box. In it were three pieces of heavy paper. I didn't even care about the rest of what it had to say because all I needed to see were two little words: London. England. For the first time in a week, I felt happy tears well up in my eyes, "You guys…"

"Come on," Laurel begged, "It's a week in England and I know you can't say no, you little anglophile, you."

And here we are. In a night club in London. Honestly, I didn't want to go out tonight, but it was better than laying in the hotel room. Just an excuse for Laurel to work her foolproof, you're-going-to-get-laid-tonight, I'm-slutting-you-up-to-the-best-of-my-ability, you're-not-paying-for-a-single-drink magic. And apparently, that meant me getting what she liked to call break up hair, but it was really just an excuse for me to cut my hair short and dye it dark. I didn't think I'd be able to pull off black…or a light, baby pink.

I looked like a high class escort, but I'd persevere. The music was loud enough to drown out my thoughts. The booze was strong enough to make me go numb. But where was I while my favorite pair of sisters were dancing their asses off?

Sober as a bird on a couch somewhat secluded from the rest of the dance floor with Pride and Prejudice in my hand. No one was giving me a second look. No one was buying me drinks. Sorry, Laurel. Not even your magic can save me. Maybe it only works on American boys. At least I had Jane Austen to keep me company. I couldn't complain.

"Cierra!" Morgan may have been a relatively calm and mellow person, but she was a totally different monster when she's had a few, "Come on! Why are you sitting here all by yourself? Come dance with us!"

"Morgan," Laurel pried her fingers off my wrist, "Seriously, Cierra! You've been sitting over here by yourself since we got here. You're getting back on the horse right now."

"No, Laurel," I tried to stop her, "No one's been giving me a second thought all night. I'm thinking about turning in for the night."

"Not everyone's been looking the other way," she pointed out, "Look up there."

Hidden amongst the bright, flashing lights was the DJ. I couldn't make out his face very well, "What about him?"

"That DJ is a fucking babe!" Morgan screeched, "He's a ten!"

"And…?"

"And he hasn't looked away from you all night," Laurel nudged me, "Come on, Cierra. You're in the middle of a dry spell. The DJ's hotter than hell. He's into you. Go say hi."

"I don't know," I put my bookmark in.

"Do it, Cierra," Morgan begged, "All the cool kids are doing it. You should, too."

I shook my head at my two best friends, "I hate you guys."

"That's the spirit!" the two of them sent me off with a massive hug and their sincerest regards. Along with a few lewd hand gestures that I won't be able to unsee. I love Morgan dearly, but she's a pain in the ass when she's drunk.

I started heading up the stairs to the DJ booth and actually saw the DJ's face. Holy shit…They weren't joking. Whoever this guy was, he was gorgeous. He had some deep red eyes that I'm sure those are contacts, but they suit him. He had cheekbones that I could cut myself on if I wasn't careful. I had the most overwhelming desire to bite his face. And all of a sudden, I felt my lunch rising in the back of my throat.

No. I'm not going to throw up. I'm not going to throw up. I'm not going to throw up. I'm going to be ok. Just go say hi, Cierra. It's going to be ok. You're going to be ok. Just go up to him and say hi. Easy for them to say. They had some liquid encouragement. I played the responsible adult. Bravely, I treaded up the stairs.

"Hi," I smiled sweetly.

"Hey," the DJ kept spinning, "Do you have a request?"

"Um…" I rubbed my wrist, "No. Look, I'm going to be honest. My friends are super wasted right now and they practically forced me to come up here and talk to you. According to them, you've been checking me out all night. But like I said, they're really drunk, so…If it's all the same to you, I'm going to go before I over talk and make things awkward. Sorry if I bothered you."

Before I could leave, he took my hand, "Wait…"

"Can I help you?" That came out a little more hostile than I intended.

"Jane Austen," he said, "You were reading Pride and Prejudice, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "So, you really were checking me out and it wasn't my friends' drunken delusion?"

"If we're being honest," he smirked, "You look like someone I knew a long time ago. What's your name?"

"Cierra," I introduced myself. Apparently, just my name struck a slight chord with him, "If you don't mind me asking, what's yours?"

The DJ brought my hand to his lips, not breaking eye contact with me. it almost gave me chills, "Sebastian Michaelis. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mistress."

"Mistress?" I gave him a look, "Just because I look like a high class whore doesn't mean I am one."

"I'm sorry," Sebastian apologized, "Force of habit. Cierra, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "I'm going to go now, Sebastian. It's getting late and I need to get my friends back to our hotel before they do anything stupid. It was nice meeting you."

"Hold on," Sebastian stopped me, "I have one song left before I'm doing with my set. The night's still young. Do you think I could meet up with you? Maybe a café near your hotel? Hot tea sounds delightful and it's always best when shared with someone."

"Sure," I felt the heat rising in my cheeks, "I'm staying at the Whitewood Inn."

"There's a café just next door," he gave me a little smile, "I'll meet you there. Go take care of your friends. Are you sure you don't have any requests?"

"I'm sure," I promised, "I'm sure anything you play will be alright."

"If I couldn't keep the crowd going," Sebastian put a new record on his turntable, "What kind of a DJ would I be?"

"Not a very good one," I realized that was a rhetorical question, "I'll see you later."

"Bye."

I left Sebastian to his work and found my idiot roommates plowed out of their skulls. Fantastic. I had visions of holding someone's hair back at least once by daybreak. Morgan and Laurel both threw an arm around me.

"Cierra!" they sang.

"So…?" Morgan slurred, "Are you going to nail that sexy ass DJ?"

"No," I rolled my eyes, "Come on. I'm taking you two back to the hotel."

"But we just got here!" Laurel whined.

"We've been here for three hours," I corrected, "And you two are shitfaced. It's time to go home now."

"This last song is dedicated to a lovely young lady from America called Cierra," Sebastian's voice boomed from the speakers, "Since she couldn't pick anything when I asked her to."

All of a sudden, a remix of Take Me to Church started playing. I didn't understand why he picked that. I really didn't understand why he dedicated it to me. But both Morgan and Laurel lit up like a damn Christmas tree.

"What?" I chirped, "Maybe it's some other American girl named Cierra."

"No way," Morgan squealed, stumbling over her sister and me on our way out of the front door, "Oh, come on. The guy dedicated his last song of the night to you. You could've stayed for that."

"I had to get you two back," I hated being the mom friend.

"What happened with him, Cierra?" Laurel asked.

"It was nothing!" I assured, putting her and her sister in the back of a cab.

"If he's dedicating his last song to you," she explained, "He's into you. Trust me. I've had a few DJs in the States that did that and we ended up hooking up. It's a big deal, dude."

"You don't think he's expecting sex," I worried, "Do you…?"

"Goddammit, Laurel," Morgan snapped, "Don't scare her like that! You'll be fine, Cierra. It's not like he knows where we're staying."

"Um…" I bit my tongue.

"He knows where we're staying, doesn't he?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Jesus, Cierra!" Morgan popped me in the shoulder, "This guy could be a fucking serial killer for all we know and the DJ gig is a cover up! There's shit on CNN like that!"

"I don't think he's a serial killer," I groaned, "He gave me his full name. I don't think a serial killer would be stupid enough to do that."

"Google him!" Laurel demanded, "He's got to have something. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, anything! Do some cyber stalking."

"I'm not going to cyber stalk him," I settled her.

"Fine," she plucked my phone from my hands, "Then, I will!"

"Laurel!" I squeaked, "You're not cyber stalking the DJ."

"What's his name?" she dodged me.

"Sebastian," I managed to get my phone back, "If I google the man, will you two leave me alone?"

"Yes," they agreed.

Much to my chagrin, I typed Sebastian Michaelis into the search bar. A business Facebook page came up for his music. And a Twitter account to match. And an Instagram account. As far as I could tell, Sebastian wasn't a serial killer.

"Well?" Laurel stood by with baited breath. And her sister wasn't much different.

"What's the internet say about him?" Morgan asked.

"He's clean," I scrolled through his Instagram a little.

"Show the rest of the class!" she moved next to me, looking over my shoulder.

"He's just a regular dude," I assured.

"Any shirtless shots?"

"Morgan!" I scolded.

And of course, there were pictures from a set he did in Maui. And shirtless. Holy shit. Sebastian was nicely cut. And he was interested in me? How? I'm the cute friend at best and he's an obvious ten. He's a twelve. He's off the charts!

"I told you!" Laurel boasted, "I told you that if you let me get you ready, you'd be getting laid tonight. And now, you got a fine ass English DJ sniffing around. My magic is real. My power is genuine. Score one for Laurel!"

"Is he coming around to our room?" Morgan wondered.

"No," I shook my head, paying the cabbie, "I don't think so. He said he was going to finish his set, get tea down the road, and wind down."

"But…?"

"He invited me to join him."

"That's my girl!" Laurel high fived me, "I'm starting to think I'm a bad influence on you."

"I raised her well," Morgan gave me a big hug.

"You didn't raise me," I brought them upstairs and into our room. I put Laurel in her bed and Morgan on the couch, covered them up, and did a once over of myself in the long mirror on the bathroom door. Before I could even tell them to go to sleep, they were both out cold. There was one thing I didn't have to worry about. For being out as long as what we were, I'm surprised I wasn't sleeping, too. I was such an old lady when it came to partying. I wasn't the stereotypical college girl. I was ecstatic to be in bed by ten o'clock.

I went down to the café down the street from our hotel just like Sebastian had asked and found him in a corner booth by himself on his phone with his headphones on. He looked like he was concentrating so hard on something. I didn't want to disturb him. He looked so peaceful. I just sat down across from him and ordered a cup of earl grey and some French fries. I was kind of hungry.

I looked at his phone screen and saw some sort of editing program. The way it was set up, it looked like a drum pad. Working on another mix, maybe? It took him a while before he even realized I was sitting across from him, "Are you going to just sit there or are you going to say something?"

"I didn't wasn't to disturb you," I explained myself, "You seemed pretty balls deep in whatever you were doing."

"I have a show in Ibiza in a couple days," Sebastian told, "I need a new mix. I've got a few things I've been working on, but nothing seems quite right."

"Mind if I hear it?" I asked, "I kind of have an ear for music."

"Do you now?" he smirked, "Alright. Maybe an outside perspective could help. Here. Tell me what you think."

Sebastian put his giant headphones over my head and started playing his latest creation. It was a mashup of Duran Duran and the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack and for some strange reason, I was really feeling it. The synthesizer was a little too heavy for my taste, but it had an incredible hook. Especially when it went from the track called "What's This Wolf I'm Hungry For" to one called "Sally's Ordinary World". That one was my favorite. It was absolutely perfect. From the way the words meshed together to the beat, it made me almost swoon.

"They're amazing," I took the headphones off, "Those mashups are insane. Maybe if you ease up on the synth and add a little more with the bass, you'll be good to go."

"Later," he put his phone in his bag, "I'd much rather spend some quality time with you."

"Why?" I wondered, "Honestly, I've been asking myself that since I left the club. Why me?"

"Because," Sebastian put his hand over my right eye, "You reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago. In many, many ways."

"That's it?"

"And," he smiled, "You also have the most beautiful soul I've seen in a very long time. Cierra, you don't understand, but I've lived a lot of life. And I'd like to share something with you, if you promise me you won't show any alarm."

"Ok," I kept my head about me, "What is it? Don't tell me you're married with two kids and your wife is looking for a way to spice up the sex life by having a threesome."

"No," Sebastian chuckled, "Even if I were married, I've been told that my sexual prowess isn't something one grows tired of. If you could have one wish, anything at all, what would it be?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "For my food to get here faster, I guess."

"Bigger."

"Let's see…" I thought it over, "If my ex-boyfriend could come down with a really wicked case of crabs, I guess I'd sleep better at night. Or herpes. I'd take herpes, too. That's incurable."

"A man broke your heart?" Sebastian's eyes filled with empathy.

"Yeah," I sighed out, "He was a dick anyway, so I guess it was a blessing in disguise."

"What happened?"

"He dumped me shortly after graduation," I told, "For some ditzy ass blonde freshman who was probably used to having a sugar daddy and drove her mom's Tahoe."

"Sounds like he downgraded," Sebastian took my hand, "Cierra, I can make all of your wishes and desires come true."

"No offense, Sebastian," I jumped, "But you sound like every other guy that's ever hit on me."

"But the difference between me and any other guy that's hit on you," he grinned darkly, "is that I can actually make any wish of yours come true. What did you say you wanted? A wicked case of herpes?"

"Yeah," I scoffed, "But…"

He snapped his fingers, "Done. Your ex-boyfriend…Did you two ever have sex?"

"Lost my virginity to him on prom night," I said, "Why?"

"You should be getting a phone call in three…two…one…"

 _Ring, ring._

I looked down at my phone and saw Oliver's picture on my screen, "You didn't…"

"Answer it."

I accepted the call, "Hello?"

"Cierra?" the other end barked at me, "It's Oliver. Look, I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now, but I need to tell you something really important."

"Sure," I gave Sebastian a look, "What is it?"

"I think you should get yourself tested," he cringed, "I may have given you herpes. I'm not sure, but I just got out of the shower and I found a rash below decks. Just because we're not together anymore doesn't mean I don't still care about you."

"If you still cared, you wouldn't have broken up with me in the first place," I growled, hanging up on him, "How the hell did you do that?"

"Do what?" Sebastian asked.

"That was my ex-boyfriend," I gasped, "He told me he just found a rash and that he might have given me herpes. Are you psychic?"

"No," he explained, "I'm not psychic. Like I said. I can make any wish come true. Any lifelong dream could be realized. Giving your ex herpes was just to prove my power. And I must admit that a little bit of mischief is fun once in a while."

"Powers…?" I grew less skeptical and more scared, "What are you, Sebastian…?"

"Again," he turned a little more serious, "You have to keep perfectly calm. Most people don't have that reaction when they find out about me."

"Ok," I took his hands.

"When I say I've lived a lot of life," Sebastian began, "I don't mean I've done a lot of things and gone a lot of places. I mean that I'm actually centuries old. Maybe even a millennium. I haven't really kept track. I lost count around the mid-1800s."

"Sebastian," my eyes grew wide and my levels of fear shot through the roof, "What are you…?"

"I'm a demon, Cierra," he confessed, "When I said you reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago, he was my master and quite possibly the best soul I've ever had the pleasure of consuming."

"Ok, crazy guy," I got up, "I have to go."

"I just gave your ex-boyfriend herpes and you don't believe that I'm a demon?"

"No," I grabbed my bag, "It's because you're a demon that I'm leaving."

"The traditional views of demons are completely backward," he clarified, stopping me, "We're not all complete savages. We do consume souls. We don't kill unless it's a rogue demon, but they're pretty well kept in line. What I would do if you were to accept me is you and I would sign a contract. We'd have an agreement that I would do whatever it is you asked me until your ultimate wish was fulfilled."

"Then, what would happen once my wish was fulfilled?" I asked cautiously.

"I would take your soul."

"Where?"

"Hell," he confirmed, "Well, technically, you'd be going to Hell. Your soul would be more or less sustenance for me."

"I'd have to be truly desperate to sell my soul to a demon," I growled, "No. The answer is no. I'm not making a deal with you, Sebastian. Bye."

Before he could say another word, I took off. Why? Why do all of the guys I go after end up being either terrible or completely bat shit insane? But then again…A demon in my back pocket…? No. Bad idea, Cierra. Don't do it. I just needed some sleep.

The next few days went by in a such a flash that I couldn't believe it was over when we got to the gate. But the whole thing with Sebastian was still bugging me. Mostly because Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum wouldn't let me live it down. I couldn't tell them he was a demon. There would be no way they'd believe me and they'd probably have me put in a hospital. And I'd rather not go down that route.

Our flight for JFK was called and I stood in line with the girls, waiting to board. Until another flight had caught my ear. There was one boarding for Ibiza in ten minutes. If I remembered correctly, there was a particular demon DJ playing a show in Ibiza tonight. That was a two-and-a-half-hour flight nonstop. I had plenty of time to get to switch my ticket and get to the gate.

"Hey, guys," I tapped on their shoulders, "I'll catch up with you back in the States."

"Where the hell are you going?" Laurel squealed as I ran out of line.

"Cierra!" Morgan called after me.

"I'm going to Ibiza!" I ran off to switch my ticket and bolted for the gate.

On the entire flight, all I could think of was what I was going to do. What I was going to say. If I was going to accept Sebastian's offer. This was completely nuts. I mean, I was about to go to Ibiza for no other reason than to see a damn demon! He was a DJ before I found out he was a demon. And his set list did sound pretty incredible. I couldn't believe I was doing this.

I just wish he would've told me the name of the club he was going to be playing tonight. When I landed, I had no idea where I was going. I was starting to run low on funds. This was probably the most irresponsible snap decision I've ever made in my entire life. But at this point, I didn't care. I had one thing on my mind. Find Sebastian.

Knowing him, it'd be the weirdest hole in the wall. I found a place that was literally called the Devil's Trap. That had to be it. I heard "What's This Wolf I'm Hungry For" coming out of the front door. I had to go in. I just had to. I didn't understand why Sebastian had such a pull on me, but he did. I didn't know if it was perfect face, his incredible talent, the sound of his voice.

But I was just a face in the crowd. Just another face that Sebastian would see during his sets. Until he realizes I'm not just a face in the crowd. I was the girl that said no to him back in London. I was the girl that knew his dirty little secret.

"I'd like to make a dedication," Sebastian's voice thundered over the crowd, "To the American girl from the streets of London. You know who you are."

And sure enough, he started to play "Sally's Ordinary World" for me. I didn't want to, but I started up to his booth. Something had taken over my body completely or I had a momentary lapse of insanity, but I stared into Sebastian's eyes like I could see into his innermost thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, "I thought you were going back to America this morning."

"Yes."

"Pardon?" he gasped.

"You heard me," I stood my ground, "You asked me if I had one wish that I wanted more than anything. Well, I do. I want to be able to find love again. I'm sick of wallowing in my self-pity. I'm tired of letting my exes get me down. I want to find love again, Sebastian. And I'm willing to give you my soul for it."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Cierra?" he worried.

"I'm positive," I nodded, "I want to find my true love."

"Alright," Sebastian smiled, "Let's do this."

 **A/N: I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this a one shot. I might write a sequel to it one day. The only reason why I cut it off where I did was because it's getting late and I promised you kids in the Kuroshitsuji fic that I'd have it up on Saturday. At the time I'm writing this, I have about twenty-five minutes left in my Saturday, so here we are. But I had seen some fan art of Sebastian as a DJ and like I grabbed the wrong end of a curling iron, I had the most amazing punch in the face of inspiration I could've ever hoped for and I knew I had to write a fic for it. So, here we are. And if you caught the parallels, let me know. See you later! xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The following is a continuation of Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. If you haven't read that yet, I suggest you do. It's wonderful. People seemed to like it. I have yet to get a negative review on it. But this is also a birthday present to my Kuroshitsuji fan base that I love so much. For those who don't know, I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary of posting and my very first post was for, all together now, Kuroshitsuji. So, I decided another one-shot would be appropriate. I wanted to have this up last weekend, but I guess that's not going to happen. Better late than never, I guess! Enjoy!**

So strange…I remember falling asleep in Ibiza after seeing Sebastian. After that, it's all a complete blank. I woke up in a hotel room with a weird pain in my right eye. Wasn't that the one Sebastian had his hand over in the café? What happened in Ibiza? Because when I woke up, I was back in East London.

"Wake up, my lady," a warm voice chilled me to my core, "It's time to get up."

"Sebastian?" I sat up in bed, "What happened?"

"You don't remember much from Ibiza," Sebastian sat on the edge with me, "We made a deal. I asked you in London if you had one wish what it would be. You told me you wanted to find true love again."

"And you gave my ex herpes, right?" I started remembering.

"That's right," he nodded, "Then, there was Ibiza. You and I officially made our deal after my set."

"Sebastian," I freaked, "Why can't I see out of my right eye?"

"That's where your seal is," Sebastian pushed my short, black hair out of my face, "Absolutely beautiful…"

"I can't see, though," I worried.

"It'll come back," he promised, "When I made your seal, you suffered from temporary optic nerve damage. The seal will take care of that."

"And when I can see again?" I wondered, "People are going to be able to see it. You could've made it anywhere else. Why did you put it in my eye?"

"The more noticeable the seal is," Sebastian explained, taking something from his blazer pocket, "The closer the bond between master and demon. Now, if you're going to be out in public, this is probably a good idea."

"What is it?" I asked as he tied something around my head.

"Just something to cover your eye," he tightened the knot, "This should keep people from asking questions."

"Will they assume I lost it?" I figured.

"Humans are simple creatures," Sebastian assured, "You'll have to wear this until our contract is fulfilled and your soul is mine."

"I don't want my family to worry about me," I could already hear my mother now, "Is this this really the only way?"

"Unless you want to explain to them you entered a contract with a demon."

"I don't."

"Then, this it is," his dirty little smirk stretched across his face, "It's amazing, Mistress, how much you remind me of them."

"I told you, Sebastian," I scolded, "You can call me Cierra. I don't know who the last one you had a contract with was, but I promise you don't have to call me Mistress."

"And I told you, Mistress," he spited me, "It's a bad force of habit. Like I said, you remind me very much of my old master."

"What was he like?" I rested my head on Sebastian's shoulder, "Your old master."

"He was a bit of a pain," Sebastian told, "Not too much, though. His soul…Oh, his soul. One for the ages. A demon gets lucky if he gets a soul like that once in his entire existence. Fortunately, I've found another much like it. Anguish, pain, heartache. Yet, still hope and wonder. Yes. Very much the same. You would've like the young master."

I looked down at my phone and realized that three days had passed and it was ten o'clock at night. I had thirty unanswered text messages and a dozen missed calls. All of them either from my mother, my father, or my roommates. Where in the hell did those three days go? Was I out that long? Then again, I did wake up in a different country, "Sebastian, how long was I sleeping?"

"A while," he said, "I tried waking you a few times, but you just yelled at me."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I didn't mean to."

"That's where you and my old master differ," Sebastian smiled, "He would've yelled at me with no remorse."

"And you say I would've liked him?" I chuckled, "You don't know me very well, do you?"

"I think I know you better than you think..." he pulled me up to my feet, "Now, my lady, where should we go from here?"

I held my phone in my hand, debating whether or not to tell anyone about this, "I need to go home, Sebastian. I need to get back to the US. Everyone's worried about me. I'll need a back story for my eye."

"I'm sure you'll think of something," he assured. Sebastian had way too much confidence in me. I didn't really understand where that came from. I mean, we had just met in that club in Central London and we've only had one real conversation. And that ended in my ex-boyfriend getting one hell of a case of herpes. Did he see something I didn't? I was really starting to think so.

The two of us left the hotel and started heading for Heathrow. My parents were going to kill me. Laurel and Morgan were going to kill me. It's a good thing that Sebastian looked like he was always ready to take a bullet for me. I wasn't really sure what that was all about, but I wasn't going to question it.

Grumble, grumble.

That's right. I've been sleeping for three days. I was starving. Sure enough, my rumbling stomach reached Sebastian's ears, "Hungry, my lady?"

"Cierra," I reminded, "Yeah. I guess so."

"Excuse me," Sebastian flagged down a flight attendant, "When are you serving dinner?"

"We served dinner three hours ago," she said.

"My wife is four months pregnant and she's rather hungry," he lied smoothly while I sat in the window seat nearly dying, "I don't know about you, but despite my feelings for her, she can get rather testy when her blood sugar is low."

"Let me see if we have anything left," the flight attendant flashed her fake smile, "And congratulations!"

"Thank you," Sebastian dismissed her.

"Excuse me?" I shot him a glare, keeping my voice down, "Since when a.) are we married and b.) am I pregnant?"

"Empathy," he elaborated, "She'd be more likely to get something for a pregnant woman than she would someone without child. Not to mention, she'd feel bad for me, too. A little emotional manipulation in the right places can go a long way. When one has been on this earth as long as I have, they tend to pick up on things."

"Emotional manipulation, though?" I cringed, "That's kind of fucked up, Sebastian."

"I'm a demon," he shrugged, "It's what I do. And you really shouldn't curse, Cierra. It's unbecoming of a lady."

"If I'm a complete priss, I guess," I scoffed, "I shouldn't, but I do anyway. Just like how I shouldn't get French fries, but I still do. Actually, French fries would hit the spot right now."

"Oh, my..." Sebastian let out a heavy sigh, "Times surely have changed, haven't they? I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. You are just a commoner."

"Hey!" I took offense to that, "What the hell, Sebastian?"

"My last master was a noble," he clarified, "An earl. Relax. Therefore, you are a commoner. You're far from common, Mistress, but your social status remains the same."

"I don't have a social status."

"Precisely."

I just rolled my eyes. We've been around each other for only a little under a week and I already wanted to throttle him. I didn't know when we'd be rid of each other either. Joy. I asked for this. I sold my soul to a damn demon and this is a part of the price I paid.

"This was all I could find," the flight attendant came back with a small tray of fresh fruit that looked absolutely incredible.

"I guess it'll have to do," Sebastian took the food from her, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," she curtseyed, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No, thank you," he brushed her off, "This is fine."

As she scurried off to help someone else, I started stuffing my face, "Mother of God, this is amazing."

"It's also your first meal in three days," Sebastian pointed out, "Now, we need to talk about what you're looking for in an ideal life mate."

"Man, tall, good looking, not a dick," I mumbled through a mouthful of grapes, "I'm a simple creature."

"Borderline primitive," he gagged, "I understand it's the first thing you've eaten in a while, but do you think you could be a bit more civilized please?"

"Blow me," I grumbled, continuing to gorge myself.

"Not like that," Sebastian criticized, "It appears I have my work cut out for me. Other than appearance, what else do you look for in a man?"

"A pulse."

He cradled his forehead in the palm of his hand, "I really have my work cut out for me. You know, when I saw you at the club the night we met, I wasn't expecting to get this."

"That's the thing about expectations," I sassed, "You shouldn't have them. You're only setting yourself up for heartbreak."

"Really?" Sebastian gave me a look, "Interesting. Perhaps I've misjudged you twice. Now, in all seriousness, what else do you look for in a man that's not a pulse and not a physical attribute?"

"Older than me," I stipulated, "But not old enough to be my dad."

"Alright," he nodded along, "What else?"

"I told you," I reminded, "Not a dick."

"Excuse me for saying this," Sebastian was just as done with me as I was with him, "But not a dick isn't a personality type. Come now, Cierra. What does your little heart desire most?"

"I don't know, Sebastian," I whined, "I'm not even altogether right now, to be honest. Right now, I just want to get home, hope to God my roommates don't say anything about my eye, and go to sleep."

"You just slept for three days straight."

"And?"

"I should just turn you now," he groaned, "Are you always this stubborn?"

"I have my days," I snarked.

Sebastian grabbed my face, forcing my gaze in his eyes, "Because in my thousand years of existence, I've never broken a contract. I've come very close, but never gone through with it. I'm not going to let some insolent little girl be the first. It's no wonder you only attract the bad ones. Knock off the bitter sarcasm and let your guard down a little and you might actually have a chance. Because I refuse to deal with that for the rest of eternity. Now, would you kindly straighten up?"

"What the fuck, man?" I shook him off, "That was completely uncalled for."

"Forgive me for speaking honestly."

"You know what?" I snarled, "You said that since we've entered this contract together, you have to do anything I tell you to, right?"

"Yes."

"For the next four and a half hours," I snapped, turning my back to him, "Just leave me alone."

Sebastian looked kind of stunned at my order, but he obliged, "Yes, my lady."

"Goddammit, I have a name!"

The low murmur of the plane came to a dead silence. I didn't even care anymore. I was pissed, I was feeling sleep deprived, and I really wanted to punch Sebastian in his perfect face. And most of all, I just wanted to go home. I was regretting this deal. I should've signed up for Tinder like a normal person, but instead, I make a deal with a damn demon. Way to go, Cierra. I hope eternal damnation is worth it.

As our plane began its descent to the gate, I still couldn't look at him. Sebastian made my blood pressure rise. Who the hell does he think he is, talking to me like that? It's my soul he's after. One would think he'd take a little better care of me. We separated at JFK and I went to the hotel. Fortunately, Sebastian gave me his credit card. And I knew I was getting the highest end of luxury that New York had to offer. And room service. I deserved to treat myself.

Especially when I wasn't the one paying for it. I had half a mind to steal an ashtray just for kicks. Instead, I enjoyed my lobster ravioli and my bottle of Bordeaux with a smile on my face. Only question is where did Sebastian go? Did he realize I was a lost cause and leave me? No. Couldn't be. I still had my seal in my right eye and my vision had come back. No one asked questions about it, so that was a bonus.

Even though I wanted to choke him after what he said to me, I still worried about him. I mean, he's a demon, so I know he can take care of himself, but still. I guess I could just curl up in this massive bed by myself. We'll leave for Connecticut in the morning. There isn't anything leaving until then. Maybe I'll just shut my eyes…I did just get my vision back, but I need to shut my eyes. Just for a minute…

"Cierra…Wake up. It's time to go."

I opened my eyes to see Sebastian sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling me up to him, "Good morning."

"Good morning," he greeted me properly, "About the flight and last night, I want to apologize for how I acted."

"Go on," I crossed my legs, waiting to hear his excuse. I may have still been half asleep, but that didn't mean I wasn't excited for this.

"It's been a very long time since I've had a master," Sebastian explained, "And to make up for it, I got you a present."

"A present?" I gave him a look, "What did you get me?"

"I did some thinking about what you said about explaining your eye to people," Sebastian pulled a case out of his blazer pocket, "I got you some blue contacts. You can wear these, can't you?"

"Thank you," I took them from him, "Look, I'm sorry, too. I didn't have to be such a bitch about everything. I asked for this. So, I guess we're both a little at fault."

"I'm glad you've seen it that way," he pulled me up to my feet, "Will you need any help dressing or bathing, my lady?"

"Sebastian," I scolded, "Remember? I have a name?"

"I'm sorry, Cierra," he corrected himself, "But my question still stands."

"No," I shook my head, "I'm a big girl. I can shower myself and getting dressed isn't that difficult of a task."

"It's strange," Sebastian glanced me over, "You're so much like him. Is there anything you need me to do while you're in the shower?"

"No," I thought it over, "Not that I can think of anyway. Besides, I shouldn't be very long. Maybe ten minutes?"

"I can wait that long," he promised, untying the patch from my eye, "Go on. Take your shower."

"Ok," I shut the bathroom door behind me with my clothes in hand. Strange. These all smelled freshly laundered. Even felt like they had just come out of the dryer. I wrote it off and let the water cascade down my back. This was sorely needed. My shoulders and my neck were killing me from that plane ride and the bed may have been a tad too soft. I'd live, though. Nothing a couple of aspirin wouldn't take care of.

I thought about what I was going to say to the girls once I got back. I knew that my death by their hands was imminent. That was completely unavoidable. But would they go easy on me, knowing I brought the sexy ass DJ from London back with me? Probably. Sebastian would mark the end of my dry spell. And who knows? Maybe the rumor that Oliver got herpes would spread like...well...I'm pretty sure I don't have to say it.

When I got out of the shower, I thought of how to push Sebastian's buttons a little. Just because I agreed to not be as big of a bitch doesn't mean I don't like to cause a little mischief myself. I walked out in a towel and a smile and threw my clothes on the bed. Sebastian had his headphones on and by the looks of it, he was working on a new mix. I'm guessing he was still going to DJ on the side while he and I fulfill our contractual obligations.

Nothing. He didn't even budge. I thought I looked pretty good naked, but to each their own, I guess. Without saying another word, I got dressed and finished drying my hair. I wonder what he was mixing. Maybe it wasn't a mashup and it was something completely original. There was no doubt Sebastian had a musical talent.

"Trying to get a rise out of me, were we?" Sebastian smirked, his eyes darting up at me, "I'm sorry, Cierra. It'll take a whole lot more than that."

"Can't say I didn't try," I sat at our table with him, "Shall we?"

"We shall," he closed out of his mixing software on his tablet and threw it in his bag.

And just like that, we checked out of our hotel and headed back to my apartment in New Haven. Soon enough, I'd be back home and everything would be back to normal. Relatively. Minus the fact that I was coming home with a demon on my hip trying to find my soulmate for me. That could get swept under the rug. No one needed to know about that.

"Sebastian," I broke the silence between us, "Can I make a request?"

"I'd be more than happy to oblige," he assured, exposing a small section of his chest to me that had what appeared to be a pentagram tattooed on it, "See this?"

"What about it?"

"This is my side of our contract," Sebastian explained, "This is what ties me to you. Anything you want me to do, no matter how demeaning, I'm obligated to do it. What is your request?"

"Don't make too much conversation with my roommates," I begged, "They're going to attempt to drill you for as much information as humanly possible. Especially the littler one. Just don't tell them about our deal. And if they ask if we're dating, say no."

"My pleasure, my…" he stopped himself, "Ok, Cierra. We're not together."

"And we didn't sleep together," I added, knowing full well that, at least, Laurel would be asking, "Not in London. Not in Ibiza."

"Fine by me," Sebastian nodded as we pulled into the New Haven station. My car sat in the parking lot right where I left it. Home sweet home. Sweet, sweet familiarity, "Cierra, your keys, please."

"Excuse me?" I gave him a WTF face, "You're not driving my car. I am."

"Allow me," he plucked my keys from my fingers and got in the driver's side. I guess I might as well submit to it.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd think Sebastian was more of a butler than a demon.

When we pulled into the parking lot for my apartment building, he immediately grabbed my bags for me. Maybe he was a butler for his last master and this was just muscle memory. Either way, I didn't have to carry a week's worth of dirty laundry up two flights of stairs. I wasn't even sure if it was dirty. It all smelled pretty clean when I got clothes this morning.

"Knock, knock," I pushed our door open, "Laurel? Morgan? I'm home."

"WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Laurel screeched at me, "WE'VE BEEN WORRIED FUCKING SICK ABOUT YOU AND YOU COULDN'T HAVE BEEN BOTHERED TO PICK UP THE GODDAMN PHONE?! WHERE WERE YOU, CIERRA?"

"Laurel," I did my best to settle the time bomb in my arms, "I'm ok. I told you I was going to Ibiza. I told you I'd be back. Here I am. Everything's fine."

"WE DIDN'T HEAR FROM YOU FOR THREE DAYS!" her tirade continued. I bet my neighbors were loving me right now, "WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN IBIZA FOR THREE DAYS THAT YOU WEREN'T ANSWERING YOUR PHONE?!"

"Cierra," Sebastian poked his head in the door, "Where would you like me to bring your bags?"

"Just put them in my room," I directed him, "I'll take care of it from there."

As Sebastian took my bags into my room, Laurel followed him with her eyes very intently until he was out of earshot, "Cierra…Isn't that the DJ from London?"

"Yeah," I bit my tongue.

"What is he doing in our apartment?" she wondered.

"Bringing my bags into my bedroom," I pointed out. Amazing how _that_ was what was going to bring her down.

"So," a dirty little grin showed up on Laurel's face, "That's what you were doing for three days. Good to see the dry spell's over."

"We weren't doing that," I gave her a little swat.

"Was he why you detoured to Ibiza?" she figured.

"Yeah," I nodded, "And I'm sort of half-assed regretting it."

"You two are a thing, aren't you?" Laurel teased.

"No!"

"Alright," she let it go, "In that case, you think I could take a shot at him?"

"Doubtful," I assumed, "You're not his type."

"And you are?"

"He did pick me," I reminded, "Out of all the other women in the club that night, he could've picked someone else. But here I am. I was the lucky one that ended up having tea with him."

"Cierra," Sebastian joined us, "Would you like a night to settle back in before you and I get started?"

"Yeah," I fell onto the couch, "Can we continue this some other time?"

"I don't think so," Laurel sat with me, "You think I was bad? Wait until Morgan comes back."

"Where is Morgan?" I wondered.

"She went to grab dinner," she told. Then, all of a sudden, Laurel popped up like a meerkat out of a hole, "By the way! I have possibly good and bad news all in one."

"What?" I sighed out, my body feeling so drained. Maybe this damn seal was killing me slowly.

"Your ex?" Laurel grinned, "He's got herpes."

"Didn't get them from me," I glanced over at Sebastian, who had such a mischievous look on his face.

"I hope not!" she squeaked, "But what better revenge can you get on an ex-boyfriend than him coming down with herpes? That shit's incurable. Aside from coming back with a well-hung supermodel, I can't think of anything. And you, my dear Cierra, managed to score both."

"He's not a supermodel," I blushed, "He's a DJ. We're not together. And I don't know about his dick size!"

"Whatever you say!" Laurel gave me an over exaggerated wink.

I was done with everyone. With Laurel. With Sebastian. Everyone could go away and I could live my life in a cave all by myself with nothing but my books and a coffee pot. After that, nothing else mattered. However, I can't have nice things, so Sebastian had to come around.

"Are you doing alright, Cierra?" he asked, "Do you need anything else?"

"A strong drink and a wall to ram my head into," I grumbled, "My roommate thinks I'm banging you. My ex-boyfriend's got herpes. And I still have one other one to deal with. How the fuck do you think I'm doing?"

"No need for such vulgarity," Sebastian scolded me, "I'm pretty sure I've already yelled at you about that."

"I am who I am," I assured, "And that's not changing. Yes, I'm a stubborn pain in the ass, but with a heart of gold and a halfway decent face. I have a terrible habit of settling. I was only with Oliver because I was afraid of being alone. And I was only seventeen. We had been together for six years, Sebastian. I almost thought we'd end up getting married one day. But when I saw our future together, it made me sick. And I'd settle for him. I don't want to settle anymore."

My voice completely shattered. What the hell…? Was I crying…? When? When did that happen? When did vulnerability happen? Make it stop, Cierra. Shut it down. You had your allotment of crying when Oliver dumped you. You don't need to be doing this anymore. Especially in front of Sebastian. There was no telling what he would've done.

But he sat beside me on my bed and put an arm around me, pulling me to his side, "And you won't need to. That's what I'm here for, Cierra. This is why you have me. Normally, when someone makes a deal with me, I'm summoned. I am not allowed to meddle in human lives. However, you and I are a special case. Instead of you actively seeking me out, I saw something in you. Something different. But something all too familiar. I will help you achieve your ultimate goal. I promise you this."

"Thank you, Sebastian," I surrendered to his embrace, "I guess this means I should really stop fighting you, doesn't it?"

"That would help, yes," he wiped my tears from my cheeks.

"SHE'S WHAT?!" And good moment over. Sounds like Morgan was home with dinner. Her heavy steps thundered through our apartment. To my downstairs neighbors, my sincerest apologies, "CIERRA!"

"Hi, Morgan," I choked out, trying to catch my breath. The girl practically tackled me. But then, she caught sight of Sebastian.

"Oh, shit…" she cringed, "Did I just clam jam you?"

"No," I rolled my eyes.

"Clam jam?" Sebastian gave me a look, "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

"It's the chick equivalent of a cock block," I explained, "We're not sleeping together, Morgan."

"Wait a minute…" Morgan looked Sebastian over a little better, "Can you do me a favor and lift your shirt up?"

"May I ask why?" Sebastian didn't deserve this.

"Just do it," she demanded.

"Do it, Sebastian," I insisted, "She's not going to stop until it happens."

"Alright," he undid the few bottom buttons of his shirt and pulled the panels back, revealing the beautifully cut porcelain underneath.

"ISN'T HE THE…?!"

"Yes," I shut her up, "Laurel already bitched me out about this. No, we're not sleeping together. No, we're not a couple. No, you can't have a shot at him."

"You never know," Morgan got uncharacteristically flirty, touching the bare spot on Sebastian's body, making him shiver, "Maybe we should let him decide that."

"If it's all the same to you," Sebastian winced, "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop touching me now."

"Sorry," she apologized, "I couldn't help myself. Can you blame me?"

"No," I admitted, "But still. No means no."

"So, was he the reason you hauled ass to Ibiza?" Morgan wondered.

"Sort of," I shrugged, "I wanted to do something stupid and impulsive."

"And he's stupid and impulsive?"

"Again," I grumbled, "We're not sleeping together. We haven't slept together. We're not a thing! When we talked after I tucked your drunk asses in, Sebastian and I got to talking and he said he was working on his set for Ibiza. I took the announcement in the airport as a sign and switched my flight."

"But we didn't hear from you for days, Cierra," Morgan worried, "It's not a normal occurrence for someone that isn't impulsive at all to switch international flights at the drop of a hat. You made us nervous."

"I'm sorry," I sighed out, "I should've called you two, but I had bigger and better things on my mind."

"Don't ever scare me like that again," she gave me the biggest hug.

"I am sorry," I squeezed her back, "But I'm fine. I was with Sebastian most of the time."

"And you expect me to believe you weren't doing a horizontal hula hoop dance?"

"Dammit, Morgan!" I snapped at her, "No! No horizontal hula hoop dance. No parting of the pink sea. No putting the sour cream on the taco. No spearing the bearded clam. No other euphemisms for sex you can think of! Jesus, it's like drunk you took over completely."

"No," she shook her head, "I'm perfectly sober."

"Could've fooled me," I mumbled, "Now, if you don't mind, get out. Sebastian and I need to talk."

"Talk or…?"

"Morgan!"

"Alright," she let it go, "Talk. Got it."

Morgan left Sebastian and me alone to talk, but I just wanted silence. My head was killing me and I didn't have any aspirin. Shit. But fortunately for me, I had a demon at my disposal to do my bidding for me, "Hey, Sebastian…"

"Yes, Cierra," he perked up, "What can I do for you?"

"Go down to the drug store," I murmured in my pillows, "Get the biggest bottle of aspirin you can find."

"Something ailing you?" he asked.

"My head is throbbing," I told, "I probably need a day of not doing anything, but aspirin will help. Go get some for me."

"Yes, my…" Sebastian stopped himself, "Alright, Cierra. I'll be back soon."

And sure enough, my demon flitted off in search of painkillers for me. I knew he was going to call me his lady. I could hear it in his voice. Kind of proud of him for correcting himself. I had to admit, though…I wouldn't really mind it if he were to call me his lady. If I remind him that much of his old master, so be it. I almost wish I knew more about his old master. What he was like. What he sold his soul four. By the way Sebastian talks about him, they were close.

As an afterthought, I grabbed my phone and shot the little devil a text to grab me some iced coffee while he was out. Maybe my headache was caffeine deprivation. No. This was definitely a stress headache. Between all the travel and Sebastian driving me nuts and then Morgan and Laurel on top of that, I'm surprised I haven't been institutionalized yet. I'm sure that's to come later. If anyone was to find out I made a deal with a demon. Or would I get an exorcism instead?

"Cierra," Sebastian came back with a Rite Aid bag in one hand and a Starbucks cup in the other, " I have one large bottle of aspirin and an iced caramel macchiato with mocha creamer."

"Thank you," I popped a couple of white tablets in my mouth, swallowing hard, "You know…I never told you my usual Starbucks order. How did you know what to get?"

"Well," he explained, sitting on my bed with me, "Before I was a DJ, I was my old master's butler. And no matter what era, what year, or where I am, I will always be one hell of a butler."

"Good enough to know my Starbucks order?" I smirked, "Do you know my Chipotle order, too?"

"Are you testing my abilities?"

"What's my Chipotle order, Sebastian?" I knew he wasn't going to get this.

"Burrito bowl, half chicken, half sofritas, cilantro-lime white rice, romaine lettuce, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole on the side."

"I hate you," I rolled over into my wall.

"Don't underestimate me," he warned, "That would be your first mistake."

"I still hate you," I pouted.

"I'm sure you do."

I was really starting to resent him, but I was still curious, "Hey, Sebastian?"

"Yes, Cierra…"

"What was your old master like?" I wondered.

"My old master?" Sebastian almost looked stunned, "Why would you want to know about him?"

"You always say how I remind you of him," I pointed out, "I want to know why."

"Alright," he let out a heavy sigh, "The young lord was another stubborn one."

"Young lord?" I stopped him, "How young are we talking?"

"He was ten when our contract was made," Sebastian went on. Holy shit…He was just a kid? And Sebastian had his soul, "He lost his parents in a house fire, but further investigation proved it wasn't just a house fire and it was actually arson. His wish was vengeance. For whoever that did this to suffer worse than he did. So full of anger and hatred that masked his childlike innocence and wonder. And always so melodramatic. But we shouldn't speak of him in such a way. As soon as he got his revenge, I ate his soul and he was gone. I still visit him in Hell from time to time when I get the chance. In between the torturing."

"Is that going to happen to me?" I got really nervous, "When you eat my soul, do I get eternal torment, too?"

"That's the downside of entering a contract with a demon," he nodded, "But you said you wanted to find love, correct?"

"Yeah."

"You just need the right person who's worth suffering for," Sebastian pulled my blanket over me, "Now, you should probably take your contacts out and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

"What are we doing tomorrow?" I looked up at him.

"Tomorrow," Sebastian had a really dirty look on his face, "We get started. Do you know any good clubs in town?"

"I'm not a usual club person," I confessed, "When we met, that was a complete fluke. I didn't even want to go clubbing that night. Laurel and Morgan made me. They said I wasn't allowed to drown myself in cheap vodka and shitty Hallmark movies anymore and I needed a random dude to bang. So, I have no idea what the clubs are like around here. Why?"

"That's where we're going to start finding your ideal soulmate," he turned off my big light and turned on my lamp. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was trying to tuck me in, "You'll be mingling with people and I'll be able to keep an eye on you from the booth."

"Ok," I let out a little yawn, "So, that's not until tomorrow night. Why do we have a big day tomorrow?"

"Because getting you ready is going to be nearly impossible to do in such a short amount of time," he explained, "But not completely impossible. It's been a while, but I'm starting to regain the muscle. And I'll need you well rested, Cierra. Can you, at least, do that much for me?"

"Whatever," I was too tired to fight with him, "What are you going to go get yourself into?"

"I have some researching to do," Sebastian said, "If I may ask, which one of your roommates would be more in tune with the local club scene?"

"Laurel," I pointed out, "The littler one. She's a quintessential party girl. Her fake ID has logged in some frequent flyer miles over the years. She's the one that got me ready the night we met, too."

"So, you would say that you two are close?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, "We've been roommates for the past year. I've known her as long as I've known her sister and Morgan and I have been roommates since we were freshmen. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." There's always a reason with him. Yet he tells me no reason? I think this demon may be lying to me, "I'll be back soon. Will you be needing anything else before I go?"

"I don't think so," I thought it over for a minute or two, "I'm good."

"Good night, Cierra," Sebastian clicked off my lamp, "Sleep well."

I shut my eyes only for a minute. Something was still bugging me. As soon as I heard Sebastian leave the apartment, I grabbed my phone off the charger and I did a search for house fires in the mid-1800s in England. It seemed like a logical jumping off point. What Sebastian wouldn't tell me, the internet would.

But there were a handful of house fires and I had no idea which one would've been the right one. Let's see. Refine the search. House fires, mid-1800s, London, England, nobles. That might do it a little better. I clicked the top link from the London Historical Society about the Phantomhive Manor. Beautiful place, if I do say so myself. Such a shame it burned down.

Yet there are pictures of it still standing today? Apparently, they give tours now. I guess I'll have to put that on the to-do list next time I'm in London. Sebastian said this place burned down to the ground. It looked the same now as it did before the fire. Strange. But then again, stranger things have happened. I still didn't believe I had a demon tuck me into bed tonight. I dug a little deeper into the article and found out a little more on the Lord and Lady Phantomhive and their beloved son.

My god…I know this is going to sound kind of twisted, considering they were around in the nineteenth century, but Vincent Phantomhive was a babe. Holy shit. Five out of five. Rachel was a lucky woman. And their son was adorable! This must have been Sebastian's former master. He ran an entire company when he was just a kid. I had a lot of respect for him. Not many would be able to pick up where their late father left off and so soon after his death. Especially at such a young age.

According to the article, Ciel only died a few years after. To this day, the cause of death is still unknown. The assumption says an asthma related illness. I know the truth, though. I know what happened. Because the demon who took his soul also had the deed to mine. And in that moment of weird delirium, I felt a strange connection to Ciel Phantomhive. I could sort of understand what Sebastian meant when he said I reminded him of his former master.

I needed to get some sleep. I did tell Sebastian that I'd do that much. When I woke up the next morning, I found him sitting at my desk, making beats. One of these days, I'm going to get onto his tablet and hear some of his mixes, but today was not going to be that day. Because today was an alleged big day, according to Sebastian. I kind of wanted to go back to bed and say fuck it all, but I couldn't do that.

"Good morning, Cierra," Sebastian didn't even break his concentration. Who in the hell was this guy…?

 **A/N: Hi, guys. Why am I stopping this here? Well, one: It's hella long already. Two: I'm splitting this up. I promised this to you last weekend and I dropped the ball on that. Now, originally, I didn't plan on furthering this story. But here I am. Furthering this damn story. I'll try to post to this again in a couple weeks to bring the thrilling conclusion, but I, uh…I don't know. But I guess I'll see you next chapter? xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, this is turning into more of a miniseries with updates whenever I gosh golly darn well feel like it. Or every couple of weeks. These chapters do kind of get big updates. And I do have other things going on. Although I did drop a day in the week and this usually gets worked on all weekend. I put a lot of heart and soul into these updates that was supposed to just be a one-shot. I mean, I skipped last weekend, so I could work on the massive Ouran High School Host Club update for this past week, but well worth it. I still update more than anyone I've ever followed on this site. I mean, I skipped last weekend, so I could work on the massive Ouran High School Host Club update for this past week, but well worth it. I still update more than anyone I've ever followed on this site. I mean, I skipped last weekend, so I could work on the massive Ouran High School Host Club update for this past week, but well worth it. I still update more than anyone I've ever followed on this site. Not being salty or anything, but I'll see you at the end!**

Sebastian Michaelis was a complete enigma to me. It didn't take him much to go from DJ to butler to matchmaker to demon. And I had him until I found real love. Soulmate type shit. And somehow, he knew exactly when I had woken up. Kind of creepy until I remember he's a celestial being with a direct link to my soul.

"Come now, Cierra," Sebastian sat me up, "It's time to get up. Remember, today is a big day."

"I know," I groaned with absolutely no intentions of getting out of bed, "I don't want to. Can we have our big day tomorrow?"

"No," he scolded me, "Because we'd be right back here tomorrow morning."

"What if I promised really hard that we won't be?" I bargained, "Then, can I go back to sleep?"

"Cierra," Sebastian pulled me onto my feet, making me stumble a time or two, "We have work to do. And a lot of it. I've also booked a gig downtown for tonight at nine o'clock. That gives us twelve hours to get you fully prepared."

"Sounds like I'd rather a root canal," I curled into his chest, ready to doze off again.

"No, Cierra," Sebastian nudged me, "You're not going back to sleep. Too much to do and so little time. Besides, I do have a little help for today."

"Do you now?" I could feel my eyelids grow heavier and heavier by the second, "How exciting."

"What did I tell you about the sarcasm?" he grabbed a hold of my tongue.

"I'm sorry," I lisped, "But it's permanently engrained in my DNA. I'm a smartass like my father before me and his father before him."

"It needs to stop," Sebastian let go, "Now, come on. You and Laurel are going to be spending some quality time together in New York City while I'm out doing promotion."

"Laurel?" I gave him a look, "What's Laurel going to do?"

"Hopefully work a miracle," he dug around in my closet, looking for something for me to wear today, "Not much, is it?"

"What the hell, Sebastian?" I gasped, "Rude."

"Merely being honest," he shrugged me off, "I'm giving you my credit card. Make good use of it."

"Whatever," I grumbled, "What's the limit on it look like?"

"Infinite."

"Alright then," I perked up a little more, "While I'm in the shower, do you think you could go score me some coffee?"

"Same as yesterday?" he assumed.

"Yes," I grabbed the outfit he picked out for me off my bed, "Thank you."

"I'll be back soon."

And just like that, Sebastian slipped out of my room from the fire escape while I used my ninja skills to get to the bathroom. I kept my fingers crossed, hoping to God that no one was there. I knew Morgan had already gone to work. She had to be at the office by eight. It was her little sister I was more worried about. Especially if Sebastian's going to let us loose in New York City with his bottomless credit card.

Fortunately, I managed to slip by Morgan and Laurel's room undetected. I didn't have the alertness to deal with Laurel quite yet. As soon as Sebastian comes back with my coffee, it's not going to last long. I can promise that right now. If I didn't stay up most of the night doing more digging on Ciel Phantomhive, I would've been able to get decent sleep like Sebastian had told me to in the first place. But for whatever reason, I found his story fascinating.

"Cierra," Laurel knocked on the bathroom door, "Are you decent?"

"Define decent," I called back.

"Do you at least have the curtain pulled?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Laurel opened the bathroom door, "By the way, your sexy ass not boyfriend is back. He told me to tell you."

"Awesome," I sighed out, "That means coffee. Coffee means a more pleasant Cierra to deal with. Coffee means a better day is on the rise."

"Speaking of better day on the rise," Laurel cut in, "Has hot pants told you the itinerary for today?"

"He has a name, Laurel," I chuckled, "Yes. Sebastian's told me. You and I are going to the city to do some shopping."

"We can hardly afford to thrift shop in the city," she pointed out, "How in the hell are we going to actually do any good shopping?"

"We have a way," I promised, turning off the water, "Don't worry."

"Well," Laurel handed me a towel, "By the sounds of it, you're going out tonight."

"Unfortunately."

"Hey now," she stopped me, "Come on, Cierra. It's actually a good old time. You'll have me as your wingman. Sebastian's going to be spinning from nine to midnight. It's going to be fun."

"You and I have different meanings of the word fun."

"Don't give me that," Laurel growled at me, "Am I going to have to bring a newspaper with me?"

"Probably wouldn't be a half bad idea," I giggled.

Laurel got out of the bathroom and I put on whatever Sebastian had grabbed for me. Which happened to be a short, bright royal blue skirt and a white blousy tank top I've had in the back of my closet for God knows how long. I think I might have gotten either one or both of them for an interview at one point. All I was missing was a pair of short black boots and I'd look cute as hell. Regardless, I still looked cute as hell. I might have hated the way he went about it, but Sebastian knew what he was doing.

"Cierra," a voice called from the door, "Can I come in?"

"Sure, Sebastian," I allowed, "You have my coffee, right?"

"Of course," he came in, giving me the cup.

"Yum," I took long, heavy gulps from the straw, "That's damn near better than sex. Sebastian, bring me my post sex cigarette."

"You don't need to be smoking," he shot me down, buttoning up the last few buttons of my shirt for me, "I can taste that on your soul when all is said and done and quite frankly, I'd rather not."

"Do we really have to do this today?" I put up one last fight.

"Yes, Cierra," Sebastian stayed on his knees, "If you need me at all for anything, all you need to do is call."

"I will," I wasn't even completely all there yet, but the least I can do is have some fun today.

"I'm going to work on a new mix while you're gone," he told, finally rising to his feet, "Anything in particular you'd like to hear tonight?"

"Surprise me," I slipped a pair of black flats on my feet, "Laurel, are you ready?"

"Yep," my roommate bounced into my doorway, "We'll be seeing you tonight, right, Sebastian?"

"That's right," he nodded, slipping something into my pocket, "I will see you then."

Laurel and I left Sebastian to work on his mix while we boarded a train headed into the city. I hadn't been shopping in ages, let alone with Laurel. Not since the beginning of the fall semester. And that was only for dorm stuff. She took it upon herself to redecorate hers and Morgan's room while Morgan was at work. Needless to say, Morgan was kind of pissed, but she learned to adapt. And Laurel is kind of a design genius.

However, going clothes shopping with her could prove to be an adventure. Laurel had already made me over once. Now that she knew she had free reign with Sebastian's bottomless credit card, God only knows what Laurel was capable of. And it scared the shit out of me to no end. You had to leave me alone with her, didn't you, Sebastian? I feel like he'd be getting a sick kick out of this.

All of that aside, I started to hype myself up a little for the adventure that lies ahead. After all, when it comes down to it, it's just hanging out with one of my best friends. Nothing too bad about that at all. Especially with Laurel. She's kind of a little ball of sunshine.

Our first stop was a very fancy looking boutique on the corner just down the street from the station. Laurel always did have a taste for the finer things. This was not a store meant for the commonwealth. Fortunately, with the help of a pretty piece of plastic that an even prettier demon had given me before we left, we could pretend to be loaded for the day.

"Cierra," Laurel called to me, "Can I do pretty much anything I want with you?"

"Within reason," I stipulated, starting to feel a little anxious, "Why?"

"You know me. You love me," she reminded, "You know I wouldn't completely skank you up. Although you could probably pull off some kinderwhore like nobody's business. You have that pretty little ceramic angel face."

"What the hell is kinderwhore?" I gave her a look.

"It's like dressing considerably younger than what you actually are," Laurel explained, "Only it's meant for big people. Basically, it's a less elegant word for Lolita."

"Laurel, that's sick," I shot her down, "I'm not dressing like I'm eight, so some guy can get off to that."

"It's not the thought of being with someone super young that gets them off," she went on, "It's the innocence. It's the precious little thing that they never want anything to happen to. It's the wanting to keep them safe from any harm that may come their way. It's the sweet, sugary cuteness. That's what gets them off."

"Either way," I scoffed, "It's still kind of disgusting."

"Would you be willing to, at least, try it?" she asked.

"No," I rolled my eyes. Ten minutes on the streets of New York and I was already over the day.

"Come on," Laurel begged, "Please? I'm not saying we have to leave here with it. I'm just saying it'd work for you."

"Laurel," I was so close to beating the ever living shit out of her, "I love you dearly, but you're about to get punched."

"I'll pass."

"Then, shut the fuck up about it."

"Fine," Laurel pouted, "I have my ways. There's so much more to try."

"Nothing that's going to make me look like I'm still in grade school," I put my foot down.

"All that you'd need is some thick eyeliner and pigtails," a dirty little grin stretched across her face, "Maybe a lollipop."

"Laurel!"

"Alright!" she let it go, "I've officially given up on kinderwhore. It's not going to happen. But how do you feel about excessive amounts of glitter or tulle?"

"Laurel, I swear to God, I'm about to take you out in the alley."

This was proving to be less fun and more work than I previously surmised. If this was a premonition as to how the rest of the day is going to go, I'd not only need a drink, but I'd deserve one. While Laurel was in the store being the little tornado she is, I was holed up in a dressing room, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for her to throw something over the door. I was also quietly losing my mind and ready to punch a wall. So, I did the only thing I could think of.

"Hello, Cierra," the voice thundered on the other end, "I didn't expect to hear from you so early. Is everything alright?"

"Other than my roommate's nuts and trying to dress me like I'm turning tricks for money, but I stole from my five-year old's wardrobe?" I chuckled, "Yeah. Everything's just peachy. I'd almost rather you doing this. At least I wouldn't look like a complete slut."

"I think the term you used the night we met was a high class whore," Sebastian recalled, "Would you like me to come down there?"

"No," I brushed him off, "You have other things to be doing. You have a mix to finish by tonight. You don't have to worry about me."

"That's my job," he assured, "Whenever you need me, all you need to do is call upon me and I will be by your side as soon as I can. I could probably make it to you in approximately twenty seconds."

"How?" I wondered, "It's two hours from New Haven to here. And you don't even know where we are right now."

"You're in a boutique in Manhattan called Latitude not very far from the subway," Sebastian told, "I know your Starbucks and your Chipotle order, Cierra. You don't think I don't know your location, too?"

"How?"

"Take your contact out of your right eye," he reminded, "That's how."

"You have me chipped," I grumbled, "Wonderful."

"I'll always know where to find you," Sebastian promised, "It's more so for your safety than anything else. If you're to die before your goal is achieved, our contract is broken and I don't get your soul. And that's not happening."

"You know," I sat on the floor of my dressing room, "You could be a world class stalker, Sebastian."

"But I'm a DJ instead," I could hear the smirk in his voice, "Now, are you going to be alright without me or do you need me to come down there?"

"I'll be fine," I assured, "I'm just being a baby. Go ahead and get back to work. You better dazzle me tonight, Sebastian."

"Is that an order I hear?" he hoped.

"It is," I reiterated, "Dazzle me tonight."

"Yes, my lady," Sebastian obliged, "Good luck with Laurel. If you need me..."

"I will," I promised.

And on that note, I hung up with my demon and looked up at the top of the door, "How long are you going to make me stand like this?"

"Longer," I teased.

"Were you talking to yourself?" Laurel wondered, questioning my sanity.

"No," I rolled my eyes, "I was on the phone with Sebastian."

"I don't understand why you're going out to find a man tonight," she dropped the contents of her hand into my dressing room, "You pretty much have one already."

"Who?" I squeaked, "Sebastian? No. Trust me. It's not like that at all."

"Sure it's not," Laurel figured, her voice dripping with condescension, "It's obvious you're batshit for him. You switched international flights for him!"

"I switched international flights for me," I clarified, "He just happened to be at my destination."

"There's something going on with you two," she dug deeper, "And I will find out what it is."

I hope like hell she doesn't. Laurel didn't need to learn I made a deal with a demon. No one needed to know I made a deal with a demon. But I'd be ok. If it meant me finding my absolute soulmate, I'd be fine. Sebastian's words came back into my head.

 _You just need to find the right person who's worth suffering for._

No. I knew for a fact that it wasn't Sebastian. He's got dibs on my soul. I'm pretty sure he's not my ultimate, end all, be all soulmate. And I might not be waiting until tonight to have that first drink. I could have a cocktail with lunch. I'm not driving. And just one won't kill me.

Unfortunately, Latitude proved to be a pretty fruitless endeavor, so Laurel and I moved onward and upward to the next store down the way. Of course, something shiny in the window had caught the little one's eye. And here we see a classic example of Laurel when she hadn't taken her ADD medication today. She's spastic and her brain is all over the place. And anything shiny is fair game.

"You said Sebastian's credit card didn't have a limit on it, right?" Laurel asked, heavily breathing over the glass case, "You don't think he would mind if I were to dip into that pool, too, do you?"

"I doubt it." He's a demon. He doesn't need to eat or sleep. He made plenty every time he booked a gig. I'm sure money was no object for him, "Go ahead, Laurel. Treat yourself."

"Yay!" she squealed, scoring herself a silver chain with a few sapphires daintily strung on it.

So, what started as a trip for me to find something that'll make me score tonight ended up turning into Laurel living the dream. Our only purchase so far was her necklace and she wasn't taking it off. Fantastic. I'm fucked. I'm royally, bending over, grabbing ankle fucked. I couldn't find squat for tonight. Laurel was sucking from the teat of luxury. She wanted me to look like a complete slut, but I wasn't looking for a one-night stand.

I started to lose all hope. Sebastian told me he was going to be able to find me love, but I was starting to think that was just a bunch of Hallmark level bullshit. Maybe I was just hopeless. Maybe I should go grovel at Oliver's feet and hope his herpes infested ass will take me back. I'm sure bubble head probably left him after she found out what Sebastian had done.

No. What was I saying? I was a bright, relatively attractive, well-educated young lady and I didn't need to settle for the asshole that broke my heart. Someone like Oliver didn't deserve someone like me. He deserved the herpes! But I didn't deserve to feel like this.

"What is wrong with me, Laurel?" I laid my top half on our lunch table, "Am I just one of those people that are meant to get six cats and take up knitting?"

"You're not going to end up with six cats and take up knitting," she assured.

"Yeah, I am," I groaned, "I'm the vodka aunt that the family has to pay their kids ten bucks to say hi to me."

"You don't have any siblings, Cierra," Laurel pointed out, "You can't be the vodka aunt."

"Well, I can't be wine mom!" I squealed, "Because that means I would gotten married and popped out babies. And God knows that's not happening because of the cats and the knitting."

"It's a good thing you have that demon in your back pocket then, isn't it?"

I wasn't sure if I was choking on air or my lemonade, but hearing that come out of Laurel's mouth made my stomach instantly knot up. And I started shaking, "What do you mean, the demon in my pocket?"

"The DJ," she clarified, "He's your demon, right? The guy you made your deal with in Ibiza? It's all in your eyes, Cierra."

"Laurel," I whispered, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Laurel?" she chuckled, "You really think you're talking to Laurel? I told you I could be there in twenty seconds. I may not be there physically, but here I am."

"Wait a minute," I looked her over a little closer with a bit of skepticism. A tiny glint sparkled in Laurel's eyes, "Sebastian...?"

"Yes?" she...he tilted her...his head with a little smirk on...his/her face. One that only Sebastian could pull off. I was thoroughly confused. I wasn't sure if I should still call her Laurel or call him Sebastian. I mean, in all technicality, it was still Laurel's body, but with Sebastian in it?

"What are you doing here?" I freaked, "How are you here?"

"Long distance possession," he explained, "Don't worry. I'm not hurting her in any way, shape, or form. She's perfectly fine. In fact, Laurel won't even remember being possessed. Physically, I'm still working on my set for tonight, but at the same time, I'm sitting here with you."

"You're literally in two places at once," I tried wrapping my head around this, "Just a regular Thursday."

"How are you doing?" Sebastian asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm exhausted and confused," I reported, "I'm empty handed and done with the day. All I want to do is go home, lay in my bathtub for a couple of hours, down a bottle of merlot, and call it a day. I don't want to go out tonight, Sebastian. I really don't."

"How else do you expect to meet people?" he pointed out, "Besides, I can't cancel. And if I remember correctly, I have strict orders to dazzle you tonight. If I don't, then I've broken the contract."

"And my soul slips away from your grasp," I assumed, "And I still end up with six cats and an addiction to knitting. Each one of my cats are going to have their own sweater and matching booties and probably a little hat, too."

"I already told you this," Sebastian reassured me, "You're not going to end up with six cats and an addiction to knitting."

"Sebastian...?" I wondered, making sure to keep my voice down, "How long have you been in Laurel?"

"Since you two sat down," he told, "I wanted to check in."

"You could've just called me," I rested my face in my hands, "I just got off the phone with you an hour ago. You couldn't have checked in then?"

"This is much more personal."

"Yeah," I scoffed, "With you and Laurel, it's very personal."

"Not that kind of personal," he rolled Laurel's eyes, "Don't get me wrong. Laurel isn't the worst looking human I've ever encountered, but I'd have to pass. It takes much more than that to catch my attention."

"I feel like you'd be a tits man," I figured, "And as much as I love Laurel to death, she's as flat as a cutting board."

"No," Sebastian let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, "Now, I'm here for more than just checking in. I'm also here to reignite your spirits."

"I'm sorry, Sebastian," I rested my head on the table, "Unless you have a handful of amphetamines and a bottle of tequila, I don't think there's going to be much reigniting of my spirits."

"What if I were to have sex with you in the bathroom?" he offered.

"WHAT?" my heart stopped, "Sebastian, are you serious?"

"No," he settled me, "Just needed to get a rise out of you."

"Well, you succeeded," I kicked him under the table, "Don't fucking scare me like that! The last thing I want is to explain to Morgan how I had sex with her little sister today. And I'm pretty sure I already told you I wasn't into girls."

"That's right," Sebastian nodded, "I keep forgetting my current form. And I hope you know that when you kicked me, I didn't feel it, but Laurel will once I leave her body."

"Thank you, Sebastian," I grumbled, "Way to make me feel like the biggest bitch in the world today. Forgive me for not knowing the fine points of demon possession."

"You're welcome," he smirked, "Now, may I speak?"

"Fine."

"Thank you," Sebastian continued, "Tonight is going to go very well. I can promise you that. I'm almost done with my mix, so I can either meet you two in the city or at the train station soon. Which one would you prefer?"

"Train station," I ordered, "We won't be gone much longer. I still need something for tonight and I have no idea what I want."

"Do you mind if I make a suggestion?"

"Not at all," I took a long, heavy drink from my lemonade, "Shoot."

"Try looking for some lacy pieces," Sebastian advised, "And you couldn't go wrong with leather if you wanted to. Maybe various shades of blue. It seems to be a good color for you."

I felt the heat rising in my face, "Thank you, Sebastian. You were actually a tremendous help."

"Of course," he smiled a little, "If I couldn't help a young lady in distress, what kind of former butler would I be?"

"Now, could you do me a solid," I asked, "and get out of my friend?"

"Yes," Sebastian agreed, "I'll see you soon."

"Bye…" I couldn't believe him.

"Why are you saying bye?" Laurel gave me a look, "We just got here."

"Um," I had to think on my feet. I couldn't just come out and say, 'Hey, dude! You were just possessed by a demon and he's currently at our apartment working on beats.' That'd be way too much explaining, "You didn't let me finish. I was saying by the way things have been going today, you think we'll find something at the next store?"

"I don't know," Laurel shrugged as a wave of relief washed over me. Bless, "Maybe. I'm starting to lose hope here, too. You won't let me go kinderwhore and nothing else is all that cute. How is it that we're in one of the biggest fashion capitals of the world and we're going to leave empty handed?"

"We're not leaving empty handed," I promised, "We'll find something. I'm sure."

"Well, well, well," she gasped, "Look who finally joined the program. When did you get so optimistic?"

When Sebastian gave me a half assed direction to go in, but alas, I can't tell you that, "I guess I just needed to be off my feet for a while."

"I know what you mean," Laurel chuckled, "I feel like I took a steel toe to the shin."

"It's probably from all the walking," I cringed internally. It was all Sebastian's fault! If he wouldn't have possessed you in the first place, we wouldn't have been in this situation, but oh, no! We can't have nice things!

"Probably," she brushed it off like it was nothing, taking a long, hard look at me, "Hey, Cierra..."

"What...?" The look on her face was a little unsettling. That was her thinking face. Her thinking face today would be a very scary thing.

"How do you feel about a corset?" Laurel wondered.

"I'm not opposed to the idea," I treaded lightly, "Why?"

"Because," she explained herself, "I think you could pull one off very nicely."

"Maybe," I went with it. In all honesty, I loved the idea of a good, steampunk looking corset. One of them and a cute, short, ruffled skirt and a pair of goggles? Yes, please!

And so, Laurel and I continued on our trek through New York City in search of something I could wear clubbing. And as much as I'd love to go the steampunk route, I had a feeling I would stick out like a sore thumb. I'm sure that'd be a good thing, but for little old me, not so much. Sebastian said I looked good in blue and that leather and lace would be a great combination.

Our next store? In the window was a very Victorian looking deep blue corset covered in black lace. I took it as a sign and didn't even think twice. I grabbed one in my size and nearly spiked it like I had just scored the winning touchdown. I paired it with a leather miniskirt and a pair of black leather boots. I was going to look pretty fucking sexy tonight. If I didn't at least score a few numbers, I'd be shocked.

Normally, I wouldn't be doing something like this. I didn't want to look like some cheap hooker, but I was going to look like an expensive call girl. Fuck it! Why not? Being the shy, meek, timid little girl didn't help me when I ended up landing some dick that would leave me for the slutty blonde freshman. This was going to be the beginning of a new Cierra that's about to give the finger to the world and take what she wants. This would be the point where I'd high five myself in my head.

As soon as we pulled in the New Haven station, Laurel and I had a welcoming committee of one. Sebastian was a lamb and took my bags for me, throwing them into the back of my car, "I'm assuming today was a success?"

"Definitely," I sang, giving him back his credit card, "Thank you, Sebastian."

"Keep it," he pushed it away, "You'll probably need it more than I will anyway."

I was liking this. Sebastian had become a sugar daddy without any sugar. That was fine. Although, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a teeny bit curious about how good sex with a demon would be. Especially that demon in particular. If they were all as hot as Sebastian, a part of me would be insisting that he'd invite some friends.

But I couldn't think about that now. I needed to get ready. When we got home, I went into full compartmentalization mode. It'd only take a few minutes for me to get dressed, probably half an hour to do my hair, half an hour for Laurel to give me full whore face. Alright. I could do this. Kind of cutting it down to the wire, but oh, well. So what if we're a little late? I'm sure they can wait.

I stared myself down in the mirror, still not completely used to having short hair. When Laurel cut it, she said it would probably take me a year to get it back to being long enough to cover my boobs again. At least I had that much going for me. I scoured the internet, looking for something to do with it when, in my new devil may care headspace, I decided to say fuck it yet again. A little time with Morgan's straightener and I'd be fine.

I heard the front door shut and a pair of heels get kicked off at the door. Speak of the devil, "I need a cocktail."

"Rough day at the office, Morgan?" I called out from the bathroom.

"You have no idea," she groaned, throwing herself on the couch.

"Alright," I settled her, finishing the last piece, "I got my friend hat on. What happened?"

"You know how the boss is," Morgan whined, "He's into me like you wouldn't believe. He doesn't really try to hide it either. He calls me his best girl in front of clients instead of his assistant. If he wasn't super hot, I would've been out of there years ago."

"Isn't he married?" Laurel chimed in from hers and Morgan's room.

"For three years," she confirmed, "And the other day, I had to make an appointment for his wife to have an ultrasound. Because the six tests she took that all came up positive didn't confirm it enough."

"You think he's into polygamy?" I wondered.

"He must be," Morgan curled up into a little ball, resting her head on the arm of the couch, "What do we have planned for tonight?"

"Sebastian's spinning downtown tonight," I ran her through the itinerary, "Laurel and I are going out. You're more than welcome to come join us."

"Hell no," she shot me down, "I don't have it in me. I'm going to put my sweatpants on, spoon a bag of Cheetos, and log in some hours with the Netflix account, if that's alright with you."

"Who am I to spoil your evening?" I giggled, "Sebastian?"

"Yes, Cierra," he rushed to my side, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm going to need your help with something," I ordered, "Come with me."

"Ok," Sebastian followed me like a lost puppy, "What do you need?"

"Well," I dug around in one of the bags from today, "I need help putting this damn thing on."

Sebastian's eyes lit up like the Fourth of July, "You want me to lace your corset for you?"

"Yes," I rolled my eyes, "I thought that would've been painfully obvious. I didn't realize I'd have to spell it out for you."

"Do that again."

"What?" I gave him a look, "Sebastian, we don't have time for this. We should be leaving soon and I still look like shit. Now, hurry the fuck up and lace me!"

"My pleasure," he let out a slight moan. Was…Was he…?

"Sebastian?" I wondered, "Are you getting off to this?"

"No," Sebastian fed the lace through the holes, "You may want to grab onto something."

"Why…?"

"Because I'm about to tighten it," he warned, "And take in a deep breath."

"Ok," I never wore a corset before. I didn't know the procedures. But I grabbed onto my bedframe and took in a deep breath like Sebastian told me to.

"Are you ready?"

"Just pull the damn thing!"

"One…Two…"

"Sebastian!"

"Three!" he pulled the laces as tight as he could, crushing my ribcage.

"Tighter," I ordered through shallow breaths, "It can go tighter."

"No, it can't," Sebastian stopped me, "If it goes any tighter, I'm almost positive it'll cause internal bleeding. This is as tight as it's going to go."

"It…" I started feeling a little lightheaded, "Can…Go…Tighter…"

"For the sake of your safety, I'm not pulling it any tighter."

"Fine," I caved, "Tie it."

"Yes," Sebastian put a bow in the laces and let me go. I could feel my tits in my throat. The corset has served its purpose, "If you don't mind me saying so, Cierra, you look very beautiful. I know of some succubus demons that would love to get their hands on you."

"Thank you," I blushed a little, "Laurel!"

"Yes, Cierra?" she chimed from the bathroom.

"I need your magical powers again!" I begged.

"Magical powers?" Sebastian gave me a look.

"Expression, Sebastian," I settled him.

"Alright," Laurel dragged me into the bathroom and made me look even more like an expensive call girl.

By the time we were all said and done, Sebastian, Laurel, and I took off from the comfort and safety of our apartment and headed for the club. God only knows what kind of cesspool awaited me. I've never been to any of the clubs in New Haven before. There weren't many, but I knew the kind of element that attracted them. Sebastian, I hope to God you know what you're doing.

 **A/N: Yeah. It's official…This has become a miniseries. In another couple weeks, I'll try updating this again maybe. The NEXT chapter, I'll probably end it. So, hang in there, because shit's about to hit the fan. Sebastian's going to step in. Cierra's new outlook on life is going to get her into some trouble. You'll see.**

 **Now, I'm going to do some answering of some guest reviews here. Mostly coming from ThatRandomDude01. I actually used one of your favorite songs in the Avengers fic! Angel with a Shotgun was used as Bucky's lullaby. And yes, Sebastian does come off a bit dickish, but he'll get to be more tolerable. He is a demon after all. See you next chapter. xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi, friends! Golly, it's been quite some time since I last updated this guy, huh? Well, I've been working my little fingers to the bone for the past couple days and I'm going to bring you another update! This should be the last one. The end of all endings. And I promise there's going to be a hell of a plot twist at the end that'll be the most perfect note to end on. So, since it has been a while, how about a quick recap? Bingers need not continue. Just jump right to the story. But if you're in real time…**

 **Where we last left off, Cierra was about to go out for the evening with one of her roommates while Sebastian provides the soundtrack for her finding her soulmate. And all after an exhausting day of getting ready for it. That's pretty much all you need to know for now. Get to reading. I'll see you at the end.**

 **Also, a quick heads up, there is a little bit of dubcon in this. I'll give you a little warning before we see it.**

I hated clubs. With a burning passion. Granted, going clubbing is what got me Sebastian, but still. Sweaty, drunk idiots and fuckboys as far as the eye could see. I swear to God, if I heard one more pick up line, I was going to shoot myself. Hey, baby. Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven? No. But chipping a nail while I clawed my way out of Hell hurt like a bitch, though. That usually got them to go away. After a while, they were just getting sad. They weren't even creative.

"I don't know about this, Sebastian," I hung around the DJ booth.

"No need to lose faith so quickly, Cierra," Sebastian tried his best to keep me optimistic, "At least attempt to have a little fun. Pretend if you must."

"Here, Cierra," Laurel gave me some sort of concoction, "Drink this. It'll make people less stupid and make you more fun."

"What is it?" I choked on it.

"A mojito," she told.

"Thank you, Laurel," Sebastian kept spinning.

"No problem!" she chirped, "Now, if you're not going to look for your guaranteed lay for the night, I'm going to find someone to pay for the rest of my drinks tonight."

"Make good choices," I cringed, "Use protection. If you need a ride to the clinic, let me know."

"I'll make some good ones if you make some bad ones," Laurel nudged me. Then, she ran off to find the evening's sugar daddy. Laurel was young and cute. It wasn't going to take her long.

Me on the other hand? I still looked like a freshly peeled potato. I went into this night thinking I looked hotter than hell. But now? Now, the more I sat here, the more depressed I got. I just wanted to go home. Morgan had the right idea. At this point, a big ass bag of Cheetos and Netflix sounded a whole hell of a lot better than this cesspool of sheer stupidity.

"Sebastian," I sighed out, "Can we go yet?

"We just got here," he pointed out, "And I can't leave here until my set is over and I get my money."

"Damn..." I grumbled, downing the rest of that mojito Laurel gave me, "I'm going to get another one of these. They're not really all that bad. Pray for me."

"Irony, Cierra."

"I know," I left Sebastian to his work and made myself comfortable. I'm sure his heart was in the right place, but this was pointless. I wasn't getting anyone worth calling a soulmate. And if I did think any of these morons were even coming close to that, we'd be stopping by the hospital on the way home to make sure I didn't have an aneurysm. Then again, after my seventh mojito, anyone was looking pretty good.

"You need another one?" the bartender offered.

"Keep them coming, sister," I groaned.

"Sister?" he chuckled, "I'm a dude and I'm pretty sure we're not related, but ok. I can go with that."

"Sorry," I let out a heavy, depressed sigh, "My usual bartender is a chick and my roommate. Habit."

"You ok?" he asked, sliding my mojito across the bar.

"Oh, yes," I rolled my eyes, "So I can be even more of a cliché by whining to the bartender about how I'm going to die alone."

"I don't think you're going to die alone," he tried making me feel better.

"How would you know?" I scoffed, "You've never met me before. How can you be so sure I won't?"

"Call it intuition," he started mixing someone else's drink, "There's something special about you."

"Don't you sound like a Hallmark card," I wasn't falling for the bartender's bullshit. He was probably just like the others in here. All he wants is one thing and that's my panties on his ceiling fan. No, thank you.

"Come on," he whined a bit, "I'm trying to be sincere here."

"Alright then," I threw him a bone, "Deduce me. Tell me what you think my life story is and I'll tell you how wrong you are."

"Alright," he looked me over, "You really don't want to be here."

"Wow, Sherlock," I rolled my eyes, "I'm so impressed."

"I wasn't done," he went on, "You came up to my bar saying you were going to die alone, so you're in here looking for love. But you're in here against your will, so I'm assuming one of two things. Either it was a messy break up where dishes and cutlery were thrown or there was some infidelity going on. How on the mark am I so far?"

"Keep going" I insisted. Damn, this guy was good.

"You'd much rather meet the love of your life in a coffeehouse," his eyes kept scanning me over, "Maybe he's sitting outside with a cigarette and a thick novel. Tolstoy, perhaps. Or maybe Hawthorne. And you admire him from a distance for a while. That is, until you're working on a novel of your own and your publisher has you by the balls to get your next couple chapters in. So, you have your face buried in your laptop. And all he can notice is you. How cozy your mint green, chunky knit sweater you're drowning in looks on you. Your eyes glued to your computer screen. Your occasional breaks to sip from your green tea with a heavy squeeze from the honey bear. But then, you realize him sitting there, watching you work, completely enthralled by you. And he wins you over just by saying hello."

"Oh my God," I wasn't sure if it was his words or the booze kicking in, but I got a little emotional, "That was beautiful."

"So?" he wondered, "How'd I do?"

"Nail on the head," I wiped my eyes, "Only thing you got wrong was my tea. I go more for a good earl grey over a green tea. And he wouldn't be smoking. I was asthmatic when I was a kid and the smell of it makes me nauseous."

"I don't smoke," the bartender smiled at me, "And I have earl grey tea."

"Here?" This club didn't strike me as the type to have tea on hand.

"At my apartment." There was the catch.

"And let me guess," I figured, "I can have some if I go home with you."

"I never said that."

"Implications."

"I don't even know your name," he made me another drink, "But I'd really like to...If you don't mind."

"And if I do?" I wonder how long I can fuck with this guy before he gives up on me...

"Then, I'll have to ask you for your ID," he told, "Just to make sure you're old enough to be pounding those mojitos like they're going out of style."

"You should've asked that before you started serving me," I fought back, "Now, if I was underage, you'd not only lose your job, but you'd be arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor."

"Only if you were under eighteen."

"And then, there would be you flirting with me," I pushed, ""We didn't do anything, but it could still be construed as sexual harassment. You might want to think of another way of finding my name."

"Did you come here alone?" he asked.

"No."

"I'm sure whoever you came here with would tell me." This mother fucker was getting crafty on me, "Who here belongs to you?"

"No one," I wasn't going to tell him a single word, "If you're so smart, you can figure it out."

"Well," he droned, "I saw you talking with the DJ. Obviously not your boyfriend or you wouldn't have whined about never finding love, but you're familiar with each other. I bet he knows your name."

"He does," I confirmed, "But he won't tell you."

"He wasn't the one to drag you here," the bartender glanced up at Sebastian, "No...Even though he can keep a party going, he strikes me as the type that likes to stay home, too."

This guy was good. Sebastian gave me the same vibes when we met in London, "How are you going to find out who else I came here with?"

"She'll show herself," he figured, "Any minute now..."

"Dude!" Laurel showed her face, spilling her drink everywhere, "This is my fifth dirty martini tonight and I haven't paid a dime! I knew contouring the shit out of my tits was a good idea!"

"Really?" the bartender gave me a look of pure disbelief, "This one's with you?"

"Yeah," I brushed him off, "Laurel, honey, are you ok?"

"Oh, I'm plowed!" she chimed, "But this won't be the only way I'm getting plowed tonight. What about you? You getting any at all? I've seen a few guys on you, but they all left."

"Nothing," I pacified, "I've pretty much given up on the night."

"You!" Laurel shoved her finger in the bartender's face, "Are you single?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "Why?"

"There you go!" she nudged me, "Chat up the hot bartender!"

"I'm trying to," he had the biggest, shit eating grin on his face, "But she won't even tell me her name."

"Rude!" Laurel slurred, "This guy wants to talk to you and doesn't even know your name! This is..."

"Shut up, Laurel," I growled at her.

"Come on," the bartender begged, "Let the girl speak."

"I think it's time we go home," I took my drunk roommate by the arm.

"But Sebastian's not done with his set yet," she pointed out.

"It's almost done," I assured, hearing Sally's Ordinary World boom over the speakers. Sebastian usually ended his sets with my favorite song he's ever done.

"Ok!"

"Laurel, look at me," I got her to focus, "I want you to go up to the DJ booth and stay with Sebastian, got it?"

"But there's this guy," Laurel whined, "He's super fucking hot. He's the one buying my drinks. And he's got a penthouse with a pool and a hot tub on the roof. I can smell the old money on him. I think I may go home with him."

"No," I stopped her, "Remember what happened last time? You almost lost a kidney and I had to come and get you."

"Freshman year of college was such a magical time..." she sighed nostalgically, "I remember it like it was yesterday..."

"It practically was yesterday, dumbass," I prayed for this girl, "Now, I am not letting you walk of shame tomorrow morning. As soon as Sebastian's done, we're out of here."

"Fine, Mom," Laurel pouted, "I swear to God, Cierra. You're worse than Morgan."

"If Morgan were here," I finished my mojito, "She'd be encouraging you to go with old money. Not happening. Now, go by Sebastian before I have to beat you with a newspaper."

"Ok," Laurel dragged herself over to the DJ booth and I put my head down on the bar.

"Kids," I groaned, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," the bartender shrugged, "Don't have any."

"Neither do I," I told, "But her sister would kill me if I didn't bring her back in one piece."

"And if the DJ's almost over," he slid me another drink, "I guess that means good bye for us, doesn't it?"

"I guess so," I sipped on my mojito.

"In that case," a dirty little smirk appeared on the bartender's face, "It was a pleasure talking to you tonight, Cierra. And I hope to see you again soon?"

"Dammit," I grumbled to myself, "Laurel always was a chatty drunk."

"By the way," he took my hand and the pen out of his pocket, "This is me. I really hope this isn't the last time we see each other."

"Since you know mine," I blushed, "You think you could tell me whose number you just gave me?"

"Elijah," he smiled, "But call me Eli. I'm free tomorrow night. You?"

"I don't think I have anything," I looked in my phone. Nothing.

"Cierra," Sebastian came up behind me, "It's time to go. Laurel's completely gone. We should get her home."

"Good idea."

"Hello," my demon's head snapped up, looking over the guy behind the bar, "What's going on here?"

"Sebastian, this is Eli," someone had put a lighter under my skin, "Eli, this is my…friend…Sebastian."

"You're friends with the DJ…" Eli pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Is that a problem?"

"No," he shook it off.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Eli," Sebastian started emanating a dark shadow at his feet. I gave him a quick nudge in the ribs, "Yes…We should be going."

"I'll call you tomorrow, Eli," I promised.

"See you later, Cierra," he waved me off.

As soon as Sebastian got paid and I got Laurel's drunk ass to bed, we retired to my bedroom. Instead of riding out the high of a shit night that turned much better, I was more or less pissed, "What the hell was that all about?"

"What?" Sebastian gave me a look.

"You know damn well what," I snapped, "What was with you turning dark when I introduced you to Eli?"

"That was the demon coming out, Cierra," he explained himself, "Forgive me. I thought I had a better handle on it."

Exhausted and exasperated, I threw myself on my bed, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"When was the last time you consumed a soul?" I wondered.

Sebastian was taken aback by my question, but obliged anyway, "It's probably been one hundred and fifty years since I last had a decent soul. Why?"

"Do I really make you that hungry?" I couldn't even look at him, "Is that why the demon came out?"

"Things with you and Eli certainly were a little touch and go for you, weren't they?" Sebastian abruptly changed the subject.

"I will admit," I confessed, "He was kind of a pain in the ass at first. After the dicks I had to wade through already tonight, I didn't want anything to do with anyone anymore. But then, we got to actually talking and I was kind of toying around with him for a while. That was fun. Once he broke the wall, Eli was really sweet. I think I'm going to actually go out with him. One date won't kill me, right?"

"It could," he assumed, "You don't know what he'll do. He could poison you, stab you, burn you alive."

"Sebastian," I rested my hand on his face, "It's endearing that you're being so protective of me, but I'm a big girl. I can handle myself. I'm pretty sure that Eli isn't going to poison, stab, or burn me alive. He seems pretty harmless."

"I'm just saying," he shrugged, "You never know."

"I doubt it," I rolled my eyes, "Can I go to sleep now? Or is someone going to stab, burn, or poison me while I'm sleeping?"

Sebastian grabbed a hold of my jaw again, "What did I say about the smart mouth, Cierra?"

"That you weren't going to put up with it?" I murmured.

"I thought so," he let me go, "Now, I suggest you get some sleep."

"That was the plan," I grumbled, untying my corset. Finally, I could breathe again. I peeled off my leather miniskirt and rolled over. It was bedtime. Even if it was three in the morning.

I felt a blanket being pulled over me, "Good night, Cierra. Rest well."

"Good night, Sebastian," I mumbled into my pillows. I was tired as hell and I needed to clock out for the night. Between shopping with Laurel all day and partying all night, I deserved this. But I still couldn't help but wonder what made Sebastian demon out. It may be a little early to say this yet, but did Sebastian know who my soulmate was? And the closer I got to him, the hungrier his inner demon got for my soul? And we were that much closer?

Maybe it was Eli. Maybe he's the one and I don't know it yet. Maybe Sebastian can see what destiny has for me before I do. And that's why we were at the club tonight. So destiny could unfold the way it was supposed to. Sebastian hasn't consumed a soul in so long. He's probably starving. Absolutely ravenous at this point. And he did say that my soul was a once in a lifetime thing. Maybe this is like a demon's equivalent of putting a hot pocket in the microwave.

Regardless, when I woke up the next morning, my usual coffee order sat by my bed along with a couple of aspirin. Bless you, Sebastian. Bless you. Yes, I realize the irony of that, but nevertheless, bless you. I grabbed my phone to check for any messages or damage receipts from last night. Fortunately, I didn't get too crazy last night, but the smudged ink on my hand had already been put into my contacts for me. I typed out a quick text to Eli asking if he wanted to meet up and threw myself into the shower with my coffee in hand.

"Good morning, Cierra," Sebastian chimed from the other side of the shower curtain, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Sebastian!" I squeaked, "What the fuck are you doing in here?! I can't shower in peace?!"

"Might I ask your schedule for the day?"

"GET OUT!" I screeched, "THAT'S AN ORDER! GET OUT OF MY BATHROOM!"

"Yes," Sebastian obliged, shutting the door. I hope it smacked him on the ass on his way out.

I couldn't believe him. Did he have no boundaries? Was that just not a concept that registered in that idiotic, demon head of his? I got out of the shower and stared into the mirror in the medicine cabinet. One eye blue, one eye purple…I'd take it to my grave that I made a deal with a demon, but I can't help but wonder what Eli would say about it. It didn't really strike me as the overly religious type, so he won't exorcise Sebastian. Or me for that matter in attempts to break the contract and save my soul. I wanted this. Like Sebastian said, I'd just have to find the one that was worth selling my soul for.

"Morning," a little voice groaned in pure misery. Followed by all the noises associated with violently throwing up. Good thing I had a strong stomach. And clothes on.

"Oh, sweetie…" my heart broke, "What did we learn?"

"Cheap liquor and expensive liquor have the same effect the morning after."

"That's my girl," I felt so bad for Laurel, but I can't protect the baby forever, "Your sister go to work already?"

"Yeah," she rested her head on the edge of the toilet seat, "Hey, Cierra…"

"What, Laurel?"

"Do you have anywhere to go today?" she asked. I grabbed my phone off the edge of the sink to see that very thing, "Because I'm sick and needy and I shouldn't be left by myself."

 _Hey, Cierra! Good to hear from you! I honestly wasn't expecting to, but good to see you're in high spirits. I got some errands to run in town real quick, but I'd love to see you again. Four o'clock good for you?_

"You got me until four," I smiled at my phone screen.

"What's at four?" the contents of Laurel's stomach came out again.

"I have a thing," I threw her a hand towel to wipe her mouth with, "You want me to make some breakfast?"

"Food sounds amazing," she sighed out, "Coffee, too. Lots."

"What do you want in it?" I asked, heading toward the kitchen.

"Surprise me," Laurel picked herself up off the floor and followed me, sitting at the island.

And in that moment, Laurel knew. She fucked up. I knew she was miserable and very complacent, but if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was making drinks of any kind. I was going to make my poor, hungover roommate a cup of coffee that would resurrect her.

Let's see…Espresso, for sure. Small. Bitter. Me in a drink form. Double shot. Laurel will thank me later. Now, she was cranky. I need something that would make her more pleasant. Mocha. Laurel was a sucker for chocolate. Never such a thing as too much. The more, the better. And a little bit of mint because I love her. Besides, it'll be good for her tummy, too. Breakfast. What was I going to make for Laurel? She's kind of a sugar junkie, so something sweet would probably tickle her fancy.

"Cierra," Sebastian was tucked away in the corner where I should have sent him, playing on his tablet, "Would you care for some help?"

"Don't worry about it," I brushed him off, staring into the fridge, "I got it. Not the first time I've made breakfast for either one of them after a hard night."

"Are you sure?" he got up, looking over my shoulder, "You do know I could have this done in almost seconds, right?"

"Sebastian," I stuck my finger in his face, "I got it. Besides, you saw me naked this morning. I'm still a bit upset with you."

"You'll get over it," he assured, "Now, what were you planning on making?"

I didn't even know. I had Laurel's coffee done. All I needed was food. I did another quick scan of the fridge. And found a box of cream cheese in the door. And a loaf of French bread on the top shelf. I ran over to the spices and kept my fingers crossed. Yes! Cinnamon! And vanilla! I'd do cartwheels if I wasn't afraid of hurting myself! I'm making French toast, bitches!

"Sebastian," I called out, "Wo you want to help me?"

"Always happy to help," Sebastian jumped at the opportunity, "How may I assist you?"

"Take and cut some bread for me," I ordered.

"My pleasure," he took the loaf out of the fridge, "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Just get the bread," I started mixing the batter, "I can manage the rest."

"Are you sure?" he worried, taking my whisk from me, "I would hate for those beautiful hands of yours to lose their soft touch. For those long, well-kept fingernails to chip and break. For the butter in the pan to snap and burn your glowing skin."

"I'll be fine," I promised, "And if I do end up getting burned, I'm sure you'll be able to take care of it."

"Of course I would," Sebastian smiled a little, "If I couldn't take care of a little burn for you, Cierra...Well, what kind of a-"

"Cierra," Laurel came shuffling out, "Coffee. Done. Is?"

"Wow," I gasped, "You really are dead inside, aren't you?"

"I'm in Hell," she put her head down on the island.

"No, you're not," I assured while Sebastian chuckled to himself, "And yes. Your coffee's done and taken care of."

"Will I be able to smell colors?" Laurel hoped, taking her cup from me.

"Oh yeah," I nodded, "When have I ever made you coffee and you couldn't smell colors afterward?"

"Good," she sighed out, "Because I got a call for a job interview this afternoon and I need to pull my shit together."

"Congratulations," I threw the block of cream cheese into my mixing bowl with the vanilla and the cinnamon, "Hey, Sebastian, I have another job for you."

"What is it?" he stood ready.

"Dice some apples for me," I demanded, "Fold them into the cream cheese. Laurel, do we have any brown sugar?"

"I don't know," she groaned, taking slow sips from her coffee.

"Evaporated milk!" I squeaked, "Dammit! We don't have any."

"Hold that thought." In the same breath, Sebastian dropped his knife and he was out the door. I really needed to hold onto this one. Something about having a demon in the back pocket was kind of nice.

"Hey, Cierra," Laurel picked her head back up, "Can I tell you something without you getting pissed at me?"

"Sure," I allowed, "What is it?"

"I really think you and Sebastian make a really cute couple," she confessed, "Whoever your thing at four is with, you should cancel and stay with Sebastian instead."

"No," I put my foot down, rolling a bottle of wine over the bread, "I don't think that's going to happen."

"Why not?" Laurel whined, "You're adorable together and when he looks at you, it's like there's no one else in the world."

"He does not," I rolled my eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was still drunk.

"Yes, he does," she assured, "Whenever you're not looking."

"That's nice, Laurel," I finished Sebastian's apple cutting job, "I'm still going to my thing at four. Sebastian practically set it up. With a little help from you."

"Are you going to meet up with the bartender?" Laurel pieced it together.

"You remember the bartender?" I gave her a look, "You were pretty plastered last night."

"Yes, I remember the bartender," she smirked, "Pretty face, great ass. Oh, I remember the bartender very well."

"That's nice, Laurel," I shook my head at her. I loved my roommate dearly, but she's lucky we didn't have an actual rolling pin.

"I thought I was supposed to be taking care of the apples," Sebastian snuck behind me.

"When did you get back here?" I jumped.

"Long enough to hear Laurel's appreciation for the young man behind the bar last night," he took the can opener out of the drawer and poured the can of evaporated milk into my sauce pan, "I'm assuming you have a date?"

"I do," I confirmed, "Is that alright?"

"Fine by me," Sebastian's shadow began to grow again, but quickly, it retracted. Maybe my theory was right. Maybe the closer I get to my soulmate, the hungrier Sebastian gets. And he's staring into the microwave while his hot pocket has thirty seconds left.

I made Laurel's stuffed French toast and drizzled the caramel over the top just the way she liked it. Granted, it was one o'clock in the afternoon, but I made roommate of the year for making her breakfast. All I needed to do now was get her into the shower, throw her in a sensible skirt, and ship her off to her interview. I swear, if I ever have kids one day, Laurel's given me a hell of a lot of practice.

I probably should be doing the same thing. Who's going to want someone with a degree in English literature that doesn't have any teaching under her belt? I had a guidance counselor tell me that I'd make an excellent event planner, but that involves too many people. I hate that Eli had me so pegged about my want to be a writer. Maybe a journalist. Then again, that involves too many people, too. I'm sure I'd find something eventually. Or better yet, something would find me.

Fretting over a job aside, I had something more pressing to attend to. Sebastian gave me a pat on the head and sent me off to my date with Eli. I had gotten a text from him earlier saying to meet him at this coffee shop downtown. I grabbed a table and a cup of earl grey and pulled a notebook out of my bag. I had been toying with an idea for a story in my head with a couple from Greek mythology. I wanted to see a story of Echidna and Typhon, the mother and father of all monsters, being cast down to Earth and reborn as mortal humans. I wonder if Sebastian could help me with that. He probably knows a thing or two about Greek myth.

I sat with my notebook and got started on it. Maybe there's a publisher out there willing to take a chance on someone with absolutely no name or reputation like me. Let's see. Echidna and Typhon. Do they know that they're Echidna and Typhon? Or did Zeus wipe their memories when they were turned mortal? Will they know each other? Will they have to meet again? Will any of their children make any appearances? And what time would this be set in? Would it be biblical? Would it be now? Where would it take place? Are they just two people on opposite ends of the globe that have to find each other? Will they team up to take on Zeus to get their power back? Would they even want it back? So many unanswered questions.

"I see someone's a sucker for Greek myth," a familiar voice broke my concentration.

"Hi," I smiled, putting my pen down, "Sorry. I needed something to pass the time."

"Have you been waiting long?" Eli asked, glancing down at my notebook, "Long enough to plot out an entire novel by the looks of things."

"I don't think I've been waiting long," I checked my phone.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, "I had to go on a booze run for the boss. Still had to work on my day off. At least I got a little overtime."

"Silver linings, I guess," I put my notebook back in my bag.

"So," a dirty little grin appeared on his face, "How right was I?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're drinking earl grey, aren't you?" Eli elaborated, "And you were working on your novel. All that was missing was the sweater."

"It's a little warm for a sweater," I pointed out. But then, it finally hit me, "You're talking about last night..."

"Bingo," he chimed, "And you said I'd be completely wrong."

"In my defense," I argued, "I was also a little drunk and bitchy last night."

"Don't I know it?" Eli chuckled, "What was with you last night? Or are you a little drunk and bitchy all the time?"

"Not usually," I assured, "That was because I had idiots hitting on me all night and my lack of self-esteem taking over."

"You shouldn't have a low self-esteem," he scolded lightly, "You're cute. You're sweet. You're intelligent."

"And you're stroking my ego," I assumed.

"And you have a sharp tongue," Eli took my hand, "I like that."

"Do you now?" I blushed.

"And I like you," he confessed, "I really like you, Cierra."

"How would you know?" I teased, "You barely know me. You've seen me drunk and bitchy and you've seen me withdrawn and focused. How do you know you like me?"

"Everything I've seen so far," Eli said, "I've liked. Even the bitterness. It only makes the sweetness stand out that much more. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I allowed, "Shoot."

"If this goes well," he proposed, "Do you think we could do it again? Maybe at my place next time?"

"Your place?" my heart stopped. He was moving a little fast for my taste.

"It's just up the road," Eli directed, "My hole in the wall apartment. I promise I won't make any moves without your ok."

I thought back to the line at Heathrow. My last impulsive decision. Going to Ibiza. I wanted a drastic change. Why not make another impulsive decision? I had yet to regret this one, "Ok. I can do that."

"Awesome," he beamed, "You empty yet?"

"Yeah," I shook my cup, "I could stand another one."

"Honey or no?" Eli cleared my empty.

"Sugar's fine," I ordered.

And that's how we killed our afternoon. I really wasn't holding much hope for this date, but I'm glad we did it. Because it led to me nearly bursting into song out of pure joy a few times the following week. I hadn't been this happy in a very, very long time. I hadn't been this happy since…Well…Since I met Sebastian and he told me that Oliver had herpes. We didn't even make the three-day rule. After our first date, we went out the following night. It got to the point where the girls were asking questions.

"Hey, Cierra," Morgan sat at the island with her sister and a bottle of wine, "Come have a drink with us."

"I can't," I shot her down, "I have a thing tonight."

"Again?" Laurel wondered, "You've had a lot of things lately. It feels like we hardly see you anymore."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Morgan pointed out, "Why she's been in such a good mood. Why we never see her. You're finally getting laid regularly, aren't you?"

"No!" I squeaked out of sheer embarrassment.

"But there's a guy," Laurel assumed, "It's the bartender."

"Yeah," I looked around for my other shoe, "He's taking me out tonight."

"This would make it date number three, right?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, "What about it?"

"She's getting some tonight," she chimed, "We all know what the third date means?"

"Good for you, Cierra," Laurel praised, "You should see this guy, Morgan. He's a babe."

"You do have condoms, right?" Morgan worried.

"Always do," I rolled my eyes, knowing Sebastian was the one to put them in my bag.

"A pair of clean panties?" she drilled, "I know I raised you well, Cierra."

"Yes," I swear to God. My own mother wouldn't be this hard on me.

"You really should stay home one of these nights," Laurel begged, "We miss you! We've had to use Sebastian as a stand-in."

"Not that we mind," Morgan undressed my demon with her eyes, "But I'm sure Sebastian can only take so much ugly crying from Grey's Anatomy."

"I can only take so much ugly crying from Grey's Anatomy," I shared his implied disdain, "Why else would I be out so much lately?"

"I honestly don't mind," Sebastian chimed in, "It's not like I pay attention. I found it repetitive after the second season."

"That season had the code black episode!" Laurel squeaked, "If you don't cry at least once through it, you have no soul."

"I guess I have no soul then," he chuckled at his own dark joke, "Not my first choice for television programming."

"We can't watch Grey's Anatomy," Morgan argued, "Yet you can binge Downton Abbey until four in the morning?"

"I never said you couldn't watch it," Sebastian defended, "I'm merely saying I'd rather not."

"See?" Morgan pouted, "This is why you need to be home more often, Cierra! You'd be the one to settle these things. And you can't stand doctors bickering back and forth while saving lives, but you'll deal with whiny, bitchy, pain in the ass British nobles?"

"Gives me a sense of home and warm nostalgia," he told. After the reading I did on Ciel Phantomhive, I'm not surprised.

"While you three are having your little pissing contest about the TV," I let them fight it out, "I have a date with Eli."

"What's his last name?" Morgan asked, grabbing her phone.

"No," I stopped her, "You're not cyber stalking Eli."

"Come on, Cierra," Laurel whined, "We cyber stalked Sebastian!"

"Excuse me?" the demon in the corner perked up, "What did you do with Sebastian?"

"What's his last name?" she took her sister's phone.

"I don't know," I lied.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Laurel threatened, "Either you give me his last name or I can go through every Eli that lives in the New Haven area. I know I was pretty trashed, but I can remember his face."

"Happy searching," I wished them off, "I should be home tonight. I'm not staying with him. Good luck. Sebastian, keep an eye on them."

"I will," he obliged, "Call if you need me."

"Ok," I left the three of them to their search for Eli online and their Grey's Anatomy and waited outside for him. Eli pulled up in his little black Camaro and brought me to a very secluded section of the park by the lake.

"Eli," I gasped, "This is gorgeous."

"I used to come here all the time when I was a kid," he told, "This was my home every summer. Not many know about this spot."

"It's perfect," I wrapped my arms around his.

"It's a special night," Eli kissed my cheek, "How long do you think we've been a we?"

"A couple weeks?" I figured, doing the math in my head.

"It's weird, though," he took my hands, "I feel like we've known each other since we were kids."

"I guess I can see that," I could understand a little where he was coming from. We came from the same town, went to the same college. It was astounding we've never met. Although, the more we got to know each other, the more something felt off.

But he was my soulmate. If he's enough to make the demon come out of Sebastian, I guess I couldn't say no. And all I wanted to do was spend as much time with Eli as I could. A small part of me was still a bit skeptical, but what could I say? Eli made it really easy to fall in love with him.

"Couldn't have picked a more beautiful night," he held me against his chest as the two of us stared into the vast and sparkling void, "And I couldn't have picked a more beautiful girl to spend it with."

"I picked you, thank you very much," I clarified, "I called you and said yes. I could've just deleted your number and washed my hand off. But I didn't."

"Fair enough," Eli agreed, "How about we just chalk this one up to fate?"

"You believe in fate?" I gave him a look.

"Big time," he nodded, "I think everything happens for a reason and I think you falling into my lap at the club was destiny."

"Destiny, huh?" I sighed out.

"Yeah," Eli gave me the most gentle kiss, "I love you, Cierra. I know it might seem a little soon to say that, but I do."

"I love you, too," I cuddled into his rib cage. Like I said, he made it hard not to.

"And it makes me happy to hear you feel the same," he smiled, "Let's go back to my place, yeah?"

I thought it over for a minute or two. This made me nervous. Relax, Cierra. He's supposed to be your soulmate, remember? He's the reason you saw the demon, "When do we leave?"

I slid into the passenger seat and we took off back downtown. I had never been to Eli's place yet. Not all that surprised he lived in a loft. I liked it. A little too industrial for my taste, but I'm sure if I had an afternoon to kill, I could make it a bit more tolerable. I'm sure that once I moved in, Eli would let me play a little. Isn't that what relationships were all about? Compromise? Give and take and all that Hallmark bullshit?

"Here we are," Eli threw his keys on the kitchen counter, "Home sweet home."

"Cozy," I complimented.

"Well," he wrapped his arms around my waist, "Now that we're here, what should we do?"

"I don't know," I wiggled out of his embrace, "I could use a drink."

"Sure," Eli cracked open a bottle of wine, "You know, Cierra, it is our third date tonight."

 ******DUBCON RED FLAG. HERE'S YOUR WARNING. IT'S COMING UP******

"Yeah," I sipped slowly on the cabernet in front of me, "I know."

"And you and I have this connection," he took my hands, "I could feel it earlier. We're two souls that are meant to become one. Like we should be bound together."

"Uh-huh," I shook in his grasp. My heart felt like it was being out of my chest. What the hell was this?

"I want to show you something," Eli said, leading me up the stairs, "Is that alright?"

"Sure," I nodded. Not that I really had much choice in the matter. We were already halfway upstairs. By the looks of things, I was about to see his bedroom.

"Go ahead," Eli insisted, "Make yourself comfortable."

"Ok," I kicked my heels off and sat on the bed that practically swallowed me whole. My god, this was comfortable.

Click!

"What the hell?" I chirped, noticing the shiny new bracelet around my wrist. And the other end of it was attached to the head board, "Eli, what are you doing?"

"Shh..." he hushed me, "I told you I wanted to show you something. And with our kindred spirits, I wanted to see what you looked like all bound up."

"Excuse me?"

"I never told you to speak," Eli scolded, "And you want to be a good girl for me. Now, give me your foot."

"No," I growled, "Get this off me."

"Wrong answer," he dug in the trunk at the foot of his bed and held a black belt in his hand, "I don't want to have to use this on you, Cierra. But if I must..."

THWWAAPP!

Eli had flipped me over and snapped the leather against my ass, sending a shock through my body. Damn near bringing tears to my eyes. I didn't like that at all. I had heard of people doing this, but for someone as sheltered and vanilla as I am, I wasn't liking this in the least bit. I didn't have a pain kink. But by the way things appear to be going here, Eli did.

"Now," he stood his ground, "Give me your foot."

I did as he said and kept my mouth shut. I figured that'd be the best way to get through this. It's not like we were going to do anything. He said he just wanted to see what I looked like bound to his bed. That's all he wants. Then, I can grab my coat and leave. And probably go a while before I see him again. This was the guy that was supposed to be my soulmate? He was enough to make the demon deep within Sebastian come out? Maybe he's the one that's going to push me out of my comfort zone and make me a better, stronger person in the end.

Ring, ring.

"What the fuck…" Eli snarled, "Is that your phone?"

I nodded, not entirely sure if I should speak yet. He dug around in my bag to shut my phone up. When Eli caught a glimpse of the screen, his eyes turned red.

"The DJ? Doesn't he know you're fucking busy? I swear to God, it's like he thinks he's your dad…" Eli got down in my face, "But the only one you'll be calling Daddy tonight is me. Answer it. Put it on speaker."

"Hello?" I answered shakily.

"Cierra?" Sebastian sounded worried, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I lied, telling him exactly what I was told to say, "Why?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, knowing that something was amiss.

"Get rid of him," Eli mouthed to me.

"I'm sure," I assured, "I'm a little tied up with Eli at the moment, Sebastian. Could I call you back?"

"Of course, Cierra," I could hear his smirk in his voice. Thank God, it clicked, "Do you need anything? I'll be going to the market soon."

"Yeah," I said, "You know what I like. Thank you, Sebastian."

"No need to thank me," he brushed me off, "I'll get exactly what you need."

"Hang up," Eli demanded silently.

I hung up with Sebastian and threw my phone aside. He couldn't get here soon enough. But I knew Sebastian was on his way. Talking in code was a beautiful thing. Eli dug through his trunk again. This time, he brought out another leather strap, only this one had a bright red ball on it.

"Do you know what this is?" Eli asked. I shook my head, "Of course you don't. Fucking virgins...This is a ball gag. The next time you speak without my permission, baby girl's going to get this in her mouth and a swat on her ass with the riding crop. Do we understand each other? Speak."

"Yes," my voice shook.

"Say yes, Daddy."

"Yes, Daddy," I never would've guessed this from him. The mild-mannered bartender with the beautiful words. And this is supposed to be my soulmate?

"There we go," Eli spoke softly and sweetly to me, "You see how much easier things are when you listen to Daddy? When you submit to me? When you're my good girl? I should reward you. All I need is an idea of what to do with you."

Eli ran his finger up my jaw, playing with a strand of my hair. I shivered under his touch. Sebastian was taking too damn long, "You know, baby girl, I think you should get extensions. Short hair doesn't suit you. It makes you look like a guy. The color does, though. I like it dark. But longer. Much longer. And pigtails. I don't know why, but I picture you with pigtails. What am I saying? Handlebars."

Knock, knock.

"Who the hell…?" Eli jumped, strapping the ball gag in my mouth, "I'm sorry, Cierra. But you can't be trusted to not scream for whoever's at the door. This is for your own good."

Dammit. He knew. But unlike him, I knew who was on the other side of the door. I could feel it in my right eye. A slight twinge that offered the most comfort since the smack to my ass. I knew who was on the other side, "Can I help you?"

"Hello, Eli," Sebastian greeted him, "I was in the neighborhood and wondered if Cierra was still here."

"No," he lied, "She was getting tired, so she went home."

"Strange," Sebastian called him out, "Because I just got off the phone with one of her roommates and she said Cierra wasn't there."

"You must have just missed her, man," Eli tried closing the door, but Sebastian's foot wasn't letting him, "What the fuck is your problem?"

"You, mostly," Sebastian growled, "I don't take very kindly to liars. Considering what I am, I reckon that makes me a hypocrite. However, that's something I can live with. And my most hated kind of liar is the kind that keeps me away from the ones I care for. Cierra, whenever you're ready, give me the orders."

I felt the handcuffs holding me to Eli's bed loosen as the fell to the floor. Almost immediately, I ripped the ball gag out of my mouth and called out downstairs, "Sebastian, this is an order! Get me the fuck out of here! By any means necessary!"

"Yes, Mistress," Sebastian's footsteps moved quickly toward the stairs.

"I think not," Eli stopped him, "You leave my girlfriend alone."

"Excuse me," Sebastian floored him, "I have strict orders from the young lady upstairs to take her away from here. And you're impeding my progress."

"You walk into my house and try to take my girl?" Eli snapped, "That's when I turn into a really big asshole."

"No," Sebastian came back, "You've been the really big asshole since I walked in."

It made me giddy to hear Sebastian curse so openly like that. I looked forward to giving him shit about it later. But now wasn't the time for that. I could gush later, but for now, I just wanted to leave. Not necessarily even go home. Just anywhere else but here.

"I didn't want to do this," Eli growled in attempts to sound threatening, hilariously unaware he was going toe to toe with a demon.

"This is the part where you expect me to beg for my life, isn't it?" Sebastian assumed, "Before we do this, could you point me in the direction of your silverware?"

"What?" Eli questioned his sanity, "Why the hell would you want to know that?"

"Because," Sebastian explained, searching Eli's kitchen, "I don't beg. Cierra, you did say by any means necessary, yes?"

"Yes!" I squeaked, "Enough of the foreplay!"

"Understood," he went on, "But I don't beg. It's very unbecoming. Although, I do rather enjoy the begging of others. Again, your silverware? I have a soft spot for butter knives in these situations."

"What are you on?" Eli wondered, "Molly? Acid? PCP? All of the above?"

"No," Sebastian told him, "My drug of choice is a good cup of tea and a cat purring on my lap. You're merely underestimating me. I can't really fault you, though. You're so blissfully ignorant of what I am."

"What do you mean?" Eli scoffed, "You're just a DJ."

"Oh, no," he corrected, finally finding what he was looking for, "I'm much more than that. You see, Eli, I'm one hell of a DJ. Among other things."

In the next breath, Eli was pinned to the wall by five butter knives, "What the hell?! How did you...?"

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Sebastian bowed out and finished his ascent up the stairs, "Are you alright, Cierra? He didn't rough you up too bad, did he?"

"Other than the belt to my ass, the ball gag, and the mental scars," I grumbled, "I'm ok. You took your sweet time getting here."

"I'm just glad you're not fatally injured," he cradled me, "Shall we?"

"Sebastian..."

"Yes, Cierra..."

"Can you wipe someone's memory?" I asked.

"Yes," he nodded, "Would you like me to take care of him?"

"Please."

Sebastian carried me downstairs and waved his hand over Eli's eyes, effectively knocking him out, "He'll wake up thinking this was all a very vivid dream. Also, he'll never approach you again. I put some very colorful imagery in his head."

"Thank you," I rested my head on his chest, "Can we go now?"

"Yes," Sebastian agreed, "Would you like to go home?"

"Not yet," I sighed out, "I need tea. Large quantities."

"I can do that."

Sebastian and I left Eli's apartment and scoured New Haven for anything open. We had a choice between Denny's, Dunkin Donuts, and Bea's twenty-four-hour diner that usually housed half a dozen truckers at this hour. But tonight was different. It was practically empty. The waitresses were playing poker at the counter when we walked in.

"No need to trouble yourselves, ladies," Sebastian stopped them as they scrambled to get up, "Go back to your card game."

"Thank you!"

He came out of the kitchen with a cup of tea for me and the two of us spent the remainder of the evening holed up in a corner booth away from the poker game. I laid my aching head on the table, "I don't understand, Sebastian."

"Understand what?" he wondered.

"I thought he was the one," I got all choked up, "I thought Eli was supposed to be my soulmate. He was enough to make your demon half come out. I never thought he'd be like this."

"Are you crying?" Sebastian ran his thumb across my cheek, "Oh, no, Mistress. There is no need for this. What would my demon half coming out have anything to do with finding your soulmate?"

"I thought that was a sign you were getting hungrier for my soul," I assumed, "That the closer I got to my soulmate, the sooner you'd be able to consume me."

"No..." he let out a very heavy sigh, "Do you want to know the real reason why my demon half came out when you met Eli?"

"Why?"

"It was jealousy, Cierra," Sebastian confessed, "Do you remember what I said when we first met? How you reminded me of someone I knew?"

"Ciel Phantomhive," I remembered, "Yeah. What about him?"

"I loved him," he went on, "Just like how I love you. Eli isn't your soulmate, Cierra, because it's me. The sheer beauty of your soul is what drew me to you. Granted, I've had some moments where I never wanted to see your face again, but they were just that. Moments. Brief snippets of time that were overshadowed by the rest of how incredibly wonderful you are. How ridiculously complex you can be. That's the thing about humans. No matter how horrible things are, they always keep trying. I want you, Cierra. Not just your soul. That isn't something that happens every day."

"You..." Sebastian had me completely stunned, "You love me?"

"Very much so," he took my hands, "When we were in Ibiza together and you were recovering from the seal in your eye, I could've very easily have taken your soul right then and there, but I didn't. I was hoping you'd realize who you were meant to spend the rest of your life with as soon as you woke up, but it took you a while. So, I sat quietly in the shadows, waiting for you to wise up. Then, when you met Eli and I could see it in your eyes that you were falling so hard, so fast, I got jealous."

"And that's when the demon came out..."

"Precisely," Sebastian nodded, "Look, I understand if you don't wish to spend the rest of your life with a demon like me, but it's much better than the rest of your life with a monster like him."

This was quite a bit to process. And I wasn't quite sure how to feel. All I knew was in that moment, I had never felt so safe and so loved in my life. And all because of a damn demon! However, Sebastian did have a point. Eli needed a good shot to the balls for what he was going to do to me. And if I didn't have Sebastian, I probably would've had so many more mental scars that I didn't want to have to deal with, "So, in other words...You want to renegotiate my contract?"

"Yes," he confirmed, "Instead of me helping you find your soulmate, you accept me as your soulmate. In return, I can grant you eternal life by my side. Just you and me. Yes, you will see everyone you know and love die someday. You and I can never have children together, so your DNA will never be passed on the traditional way. But I promise that you'll always have me. Any time of the day. Any day of the week. And I will always keep you safe. You will be my master for the rest of eternity."

"Sebastian..."

"Yes, Cierra?"

I hid a little smile on my face, "Did you just propose to me?"

"In a manner of speaking," he shrugged, "Are you saying yes? Do you accept the terms of our new contract?"

"Will you still eat my soul?"

"How else am I going to make you live eternally?"

"In that case," I leaned over the table, pushing my lips against his, "I accept."

"Very well then," Sebastian smiled, "I should probably remove the branding from your eye."

"No," I shook my head, "I want to keep it. I want our bond to never go away."

"It won't," he promised.

The next morning, I woke up in my bed by myself to the sound of my two roommates bitching at each other for one reason or another. Was I dreaming last night? Did Sebastian and I not renegotiate? Are we together? Do I still have my soul? Unsure and confused, I rolled over and found a gift on my nightstand. A small, black box and my iced caramel macchiato. Along with a note under the cup.

Good morning, my love.

 _Whenever you're ready,_

 _meet me on the balcony._

 _With love,_

 _Sebastian_

I opened the box out of sheer curiosity and found a blue stone set in silver. I guess we did renegotiate our contract. But when I looked in the mirror, our seal was still in my eye. I popped my contacts in and headed out to the balcony. My mere presence was enough to get Morgan and Laurel to shut up for five minutes.

"Morning, Cierra," Morgan greeted me.

"How was your date with Eli last night?" Laurel asked innocently.

"We decided it wasn't going to work out," I bit my tongue, "Have you guys seen Sebastian?"

"Outside."

As if I didn't already know. I threw back the sliding glass door in the living room and joined my demon on the balcony, sitting comfortably in his lap, "Good morning."

"Good morning, darling," Sebastian wrapped his arms around me, "I see you got my gift."

"It's beautiful," I awed at the ring, "Does this mean we're official now?"

"I'd say so," he nuzzled his face in my neck, "By the way, your soul was delightful. Truly the best this world had to offer. So, how about it? You? Me? Eternity? Is that alright with you?"

"Can I take your last name, too?" I teased him.

"If you wish," Sebastian kissed my cheek, "If you don't mind me asking, what was your maiden name?"

"Really?" I gave him a look, "You don't know?"

"I'm a demon, not a mind reader," he cuddled me. Damn, he was awfully affectionate today, "What was your last name?"

I curled into Sebastian's lap, resting my head on his chest, "It's Sutcliff. Why?"

And in that moment, my demon turned completely pale, "What…?"

 **A/N: No more! No more of this! I know I said this was only going to be a one shot, but it turned into the miniseries. We're done. It's over with.**

 **And I must say, I'm pretty happy with the way it ended. Eli's a dick. Sebastian and Cierra are going to ride off into the sunset together. And we found out her last name…I've been wanting to reveal that for so long now. I haven't known that since the beginning, but I've known for a while. Look, I'm going to be honest with you. This was supposed to be up last week, but I ended up not getting it done, so here I am. Now, if it's alright with you, I'm going to bow out and call it a night. See you later! xx**


End file.
